US approves $285 million sale of air defense system to Ukraine

Contact Counsellor

Last Updated26/05/2023

The United States recently announced the approval of a $285 million sale of a NASAMS air defense system and related equipment to Ukraine.

It is a medium-range ground-based air defense system.
It is designed to engage air targets at low and medium altitudes in all weather conditions.
It was designed and developed jointly by Raytheon (United States) and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (Norway).
It is used by Norway, the United States, Canada, Chile, Finland, Indonesia, Netherlands, Oman, Qatar, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
It is best suited to defend important stationary assets, such as key military assets, infrastructure, or cities.
It has been integrated into the S. National Capital Region’s air defense system since 2005.

It is the world's first networked short - and medium-range air defense system that could integrate with other equipment and air defense systems.
It features an X-Band, 360-degree phased array air defense radar with a 75-kilometer (approximately 47-mile) range to identify targets.
The NASAMS is armed with three launchers, each carrying up to six missiles.
The system can engage 72 targets simultaneously in active and passive modes.
It uses AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, which have been modified for ground launch and have an engagement range of about 30 kilometers.