Ukraine receives 1st delivery of NASAMS, Apside air defense systems: Defense minister
Ukraine has received its first delivery of NASAMS and Aspide air defense systems, its defense chief says, as the West continues to pour advanced weapons into the ex-Soviet republic despite Russia's warnings.
In a tweet on Monday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the received defense systems would "significantly strengthen" the Ukrainian army against Russia in the course of the ongoing war that started on February 24.
"We will continue to shoot down the enemy targets attacking us. Thank you to our partners: Norway, Spain and the US," Reznikov further wrote on Twitter.
Look who’s here!
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) November 7, 2022
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.
Thank you to our partners: Norway, Spain and the US. pic.twitter.com/ozP4eXhgOg
NASAMS - the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System - is manufactured as a joint venture between US-based Raytheon Technologies and Norway’s Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace.
The weapon system is a distributed and networked short- to medium-range ground-based air defense system, designed to shoot down drones, helicopters, cruise missiles, and crewed fixed wing aircraft.
Aspide, on the other hand, is an Italian medium range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile system, equipped with semi-active radar homing seeker.
Reznikov said last month that his country had received the first Iris-T defense system from Germany. The weapon is a medium-range infrared homing missile available in both air-to-air and ground defense surface-to-air variants.
Last week, the Pentagon said Washington would hand over to Ukraine eight NASAMS air defense systems, with two of them expected to arrive in the near future.
Also last week, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced that a new package of military aid would arrive from Spain, which includes an Aspide anti-aircraft missile defense battery and their missiles. He said at the time that Spain would also hand over to Ukraine four Hawk anti-aircraft systems, anti-tank missile systems, artillery guns and their munitions.
Since the onset of Russia's operation in Ukraine, the United States and its European allies have imposed waves of economic sanctions against Moscow while supplying large consignments of heavy weaponry to Kiev over Russian objections. Moscow has been critical of the weapons supplies to Kiev, warning that they will prolong the war.
For the past month or so, Russia's airstrikes have destroyed around a third of Ukraine's power stations, prompting Kiev to Urge Ukrainians to save electricity as much as possible.
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