Norwegian Government has officially announced a new donation of military equipment to Ukraine amounting to 355 million Norwegian kroner (~$30.55 million). This tranche is all about the NASAMS anti-aircraft missile system.
This aid includes air defense systems components, namely launchers and Fire Distribution Centers, sourced from existing stocks for rapid delivery to Ukraine and additional orders from manufacturers to be supplied later.
Read more: Ukraine's Air Force Reveals the Number of Downed Kinzhal-47 Missiles and Why Allies Give Launchers, Not Entire Air Defense Systems
"The equipment can be sent within a relatively short time and will be crucial to strengthening the air defense against russian attacks this winter," said Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram.
At the same time, he doesn't specify how many NASAMS will be delivered in the short term and how many are scheduled to arrive later.
The statement also reveals an interesting detail: "The government has also decided to donate eight more launch systems and four more fire direction centers for NASAMS. This amounts to the same number of systems that Norway has donated previously."
In other words, Norway has so far delivered eight launchers and four fire control units, now doubling the commitment. The exact number of NASAMS and its components was never mentioned until now, confirming the estimates by analysts.
This set of launchers and FDCs makes four incomplete fire units of NASAMS. For reference, a standard composition consists of a command post, an FDC, an active 3D radar AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel, a passive electro-optical and infrared sensor, and "a number of missile canister launchers with AMRAAM missiles," as noted by the manufacturer, Kongsberg.
In fact, the NASAMS configuration of two launchers per radar and command post does not realize the full potential of this air defense system due to the maximum number of destroyed targets limited to 12, as each launcher carries only 6 missiles. This is because the key advantage of NASAMS lies in the multi-channel capability allowing the system to intercept numerous targets simultaneously.
Although worth noting, even the standard set of three launchers per unit is not enough sometimes, which is why Lithuania provided additional launchers to complement the previously delivered systems. The launchers arrived in September 2023.
Thus, the capabilities of the Ukrainian NASAMS systems can be further expanded by adding more launchers, either from Norwegian armed forces reserves or through additional orders from manufacturer Kongsberg.
With that, NASAMS should become the second main medium-range air defense system for Ukraine on a par with the German IRIS-T.
Based upon all the statements regarding NASAMS summed up, Ukraine is set to receive a total of 17 NASAMS air defense systems, including 11 complete units — with eight announced from the USA (partially delivered with the remaining scheduled by 2025), one from Canada, and two from Norway; and 6 incomplete "batteries" of fire control units with extra launchers from Norway and Lithuania.
For a reminder, the interception range of NASAMS depends on the type of missiles deployed: AIM-9X Sidewinder, AIM-120C AMRAAM, or AMRAAM-ER, with ranges of approximately 10 km, 20 km, and 40 km, respectively.
Read more: NASAMS Air Defense System From Canada: How Long Should Ukraine Wait For It
