The new antiaircraft weapon, together with the Himars missile system, which has already inflicted large Russian losses on the ground, is one of the most modern weapons promised by the West to Kyiv. The Ukrainian army hopes that the Norwegian-American missile system, after the success of Himars, will cause a new turn in the war.
More than three months after the US announced it would buy the antiaircraft weapon for the Ukrainian military for hundreds of millions of dollars, President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday confirmed the arrival of the first launchers. However, a spokesperson said on Tuesday that his words had been misinterpreted. Kyiv hopes it won’t be long before it makes its appearance on the battlefield.
The need for the Nasams (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) has been demonstrated again in recent days by new Russian attacks on Odesa and Zaporizhzhya. The missiles are expected to be deployed mainly in Kyiv and Odesa, cities that are regularly bombarded by the Russians with missiles.
Fighting cruise missiles
With Nasams, which is also available to the Netherlands, the Ukrainian army gets a high-tech weapon that is ideally suited to take down Russian cruise missiles in particular. Since the invasion, Moscow has fired more than 2,000 missiles, including the modern Kalibr cruise missile. With the existing anti-aircraft weapons now available to Ukraine, such as the S-300 system and the BUK missile, the cruise missiles are difficult to combat.
Cruise missiles fly low and can often easily deceive the enemy radar. Ukraine’s high command and fighter pilots claim to have regularly shot down cruise missiles, but it’s only a fraction of what Russia has fired.
Early this month, the US and Norway conducted a major test of the Nasams weapon that successfully defended an air base against various cruise missile attacks. “The test showed the flexibility of Nasams,” said CEO Eirik Lie, CEO of the Norwegian manufacturer Kongsberg.
Also against drones
With the Western missile system, missiles up to 50 kilometers can be fired in seconds to intercept Russian missiles. The great strength of Nasams is that it fires one of the world’s best surface-to-air missiles, the Amraam. This has been used for years by western air forces to shoot down enemy aircraft. Each Nasam launcher has six Amrams.
The Nasams system, initiated by Norway in the 1990s, is also intended to take down combat drones. These are increasingly becoming a problem for Ukrainians as Iran has supplied the kamikazedrone Shahed-136 to Russia. Not a day goes by without Kyiv announcing that Shaheds have smashed into Ukrainian units.
For example, the Ukrainian army in the south admitted on Monday that two Iranian drones had hit a military target near Odesa, after which a large fire broke out and ammunition exploded. The Nasams system can also protect cities and key targets such as ports, air bases, military headquarters and the presidential office in Kyiv.
The US chose its advanced missile system to secure Washington after the 9/11 attacks. Since 2005, in particular, the White House, the Capitol and the Pentagon have been monitored with Nasams.
Press VS
The US decided to deliver the weapon to Ukraine in July, after much urging from Kyiv who was frustrated that it did not have an adequate response to the Russian missile threat. Ever since, they have been wondering in Ukraine when the eight missile systems, which consist of several launchers, will finally arrive on the battlefield.
Unlike the other weapons the US has supplied to date, worth $15 billion, the Nasams do not come from US stockpiles. Washington placed an order with weapons manufacturer Raytheon, which has developed the missile system together with the Norwegian Kongsberg. But about when it arrives, the Pentagon is silent in all languages. The increasing threat from Iran’s drones and the mobilization that Moscow has announced are increasing pressure on Americans to deliver Nasams quickly.
Russia has also been attacking more high-value civilian targets in recent weeks, such as dams and power plants. Moscow is expected to attack infrastructure even more with missiles to make life as difficult as possible for Ukrainians in the winter. Ukraine would prefer to have many more modern western antiaircraft weapons.
“It is imperative that the US shows leadership,” Zelensky said in an interview with CBS on Sunday. He thanked President Joe Biden for the decision to send Nasams to Ukraine. “But believe me, it is not nearly enough to protect the civilian infrastructure, schools, hospitals, universities and homes of Ukrainians.”