Western weapon sent to Ukraine aims to knock Russian missiles out of the sky
NASAMS: The latest Western weapon sent to Ukraine aims to knock Russian missiles out of the sky
“Look who’s here!” a triumphant Oleksii Reznikov, the defense minister of Ukraine, tweeted on Monday. “NASAMS and Aspide air defence systems arrived in Ukraine! These weapons will significantly strengthen #UAarmy and will make our skies safer. We will continue to shoot down the enemy targets attacking us.”
Reznikov’s excitement was understandable, if a little cryptic to the uninitiated. Not everyone will know what “NASAMS” stands for, but some hope it may soon be a household name.
From the beginning of the war, air defense has been a key component of Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion. It has taken on an even greater significance since early October, when Russia stepped up its campaign of missiles and drone strikes targeting Ukraine’s cities and infrastructure.
The National (sometimes written as Norwegian) Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, has gotten the most attention. (Aspide, the other system Reznikov referred to, is a similar Spanish-produced model.) The U.S. has provided two of these systems, produced jointly by the American contractor Raytheon and Norwegian firm Kongsberg, with six more due to arrive later. Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, spokesman for the Pentagon, said this week that the system will help Ukraine defend itself against any “type of direct aerial threat that Russians may try to employ against various targets or civilians” — including the drones and cruise missiles that have been doing most of the damage lately.
https://www.grid.news/story/global/2022/11/11/nasams-the-latest-western-weapon-sent-to-ukraine-aims-to-knock-russian-missiles-out-of-the-sky/
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