Norway has announced the donation of spare parts for Sea King helicopters to Ukraine.
Minister of Defense Bjørn Arild Gram emphasized the strategic importance of the Black Sea and the maritime domain for Ukraine. “As co-chair of the Maritime Capability Coalition, Norway considers it important to ensure that Ukraine is able to build its Coast Guard and increase its maritime capabilities as rapidly as possible. Norway will donate spare parts for Sea King helicopters in order to help support the operation and maintenance of the helicopters that have been donated to Ukraine by Germany,” Gram stated.
The Sea King helicopters, an older model, pose significant challenges in terms of sourcing spare parts. These helicopters were in service in Norway from 1973 until 2023 and have since been replaced by the SAR Queen (AW101) helicopters.
The Norwegian Sea Kings have reached their maximum number of flight hours and cannot be donated in their entirety.
Early, Germany decided to donate six Sea King helicopters to Ukraine, while the UK plans to donate three. Norway’s donation of spare parts will specifically support the six helicopters being provided by Germany.