The president of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Eirik Lie said on Thursday that a Norwegian air defense system is central in protecting the Ukrainian people from airborne attacks.
“After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it quickly became evident that they needed a modern air defense system to defend against the Russian air strikes,” said Eirik Lie.
Lie noted that in November 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received the first two deliveries of NASAMS. That same month, Russia carried out the most massive air strike in Ukraine since the war began, and the Norwegian-developed air defense system had a tough baptism of fire.
“NASAMS continues to secure people, cities, and critical infrastructure in Ukraine,” it says on its Linkedin page.
Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System.
Beautiful 🧐☕️ pic.twitter.com/EdlNHMkiq7— Ukrainian Air Force (@KpsZSU) August 9, 2023
NASAMS includes sensors, command vehicles, communication systems, and launch platforms. All operators have access to the same information, and everything is mobile. This makes the Norwegian system highly adaptable, however there are several advanced technological systems involved, and thorough training is required.
The first version of NASAMS was developed in the early 1990s and it has since been further developed through a series of updates.
The system is used by 12 nations and is one of the biggest export successes ever for the Norwegian defence industry.
