Mystery Surrounds Disappearance of $406 Million NASAMS Air Defense System
A year after the donation of the air defense system was announced by Canada, there is no information available regarding the fate of the promised US$406 million NASAMS air defense system to Ukraine.
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — In early last year, the Canadian government allocated a total of US$406 million (RM1.89 billion) to acquire the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) air defense system, which will then donated to Ukraine to help address air threats from Russian aircraft or drones.
The donation of the NASAMS air defense system was announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
According to the media statement released at that time, the donation of the NASAMS air defense system was intended to bolster Ukraine’s air defense capabilities against aerial attacks on military positions, public infrastructure, and population centers.
Reports from Canada indicated that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government paid a sum of US$406 million to the United States government for the acquisition of the NASAMS air defense system.
The United States government was reported to have signed an agreement with the company RTX (formerly known as Raytheon) to enable the building of the air defense system purchased by Canada.
However, another company responsible for building the system, Kongsberg, stated that they had no knowledge of the contract from Canada to acquire the NASAMS air defense system, even a year after the acquisition was announced.
The NASAMS air defense system is designed and built by RTX and Kongsberg.
A year after Canada’s donation of the air defense system, there is no information available on the status of the NASAMS system promised to Ukraine.
The NASAMS medium-range air defense system was developed by Kongsberg, with the U.S. defense company RTX supplying the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) for the system.
NASAMS is considered a low to medium-range air defense system that applies the world’s first network-centric system.
Overall, the NASAMS medium-range air defense system is used by 15 countries.
Notably, the system employs the AMRAAM guided missile developed by Raytheon.
In a standard NASAMS unit, it comprises the FDC Fire Distribution Center, an active 3D AN/MPQ64F1 Sentinel radar, passive electro-optic and infrared sensors, and several canisters of AMRAAM guided missiles.
The engagement range for the NASAMS system is up to 180km. – DSA
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