According to journalists, the Pentagon wants to send anti-aircraft missile systems to the Armed Forces of Ukraine within a maximum of six months. American advanced systems are in service in Oman and Qatar.
The United States, together with its NATO allies, is negotiating with representatives of the countries of the Middle East on the transfer of several NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine. Greg Hayes, CEO of systems manufacturer Raytheon Technologies, said this in an interview with Politico.
States are trying to ensure that Ukraine receives anti-aircraft missile systems within a period of 3 to 6 months. The head of the company said that the Pentagon’s partners in the Middle East will make up for the lack of air defense within 2 years.
“We’re working with several Middle Eastern countries that use NASAMS and are trying to ship them to Ukraine,” Hayes said.
Buying air defense systems for the Ukrainian Armed Forces (APU) from other countries will be faster than producing them in the USA. According to Hayes, it takes 2 years to build a NASAMS system due to the process of purchasing electronic components and rocket motors.
The director emphasized that the agreement on the transfer of air defense systems to Ukraine must be approved by the administration of US President Joe Biden.
Which countries can transfer NASAMS air defense to Ukraine?
Raytheon declined to name the Middle Eastern countries from which they would receive air defense. According to the Defense and Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Oman and Qatar have NASAMS systems.
Oman signed a contract with Raytheon in 2014 for the delivery of NASAMS systems in 2016. Qatar received approval from the US to purchase NASAMS in 2019.
Politico states that government notices do not indicate how many systems Oman and Qatar have purchased.
According to Hayes, training the Ukrainian military in the use of advanced equipment is a problem for the United States. Norwegians from Kongsberg company (developing NASAMS with Raytheon – ed.) trained about 60 Ukrainians to use 2 NASAMS systems.
According to journalists, the process of learning to use NASAMS usually takes six months. Ukrainian experts mastered everything in 60 days.
Raytheon Technologies has a support center in the area, and the head of the company noted that after the units are deployed, the company will be able to provide technical support.
Recall that on the eve of the Pentagon signed a contract with Raytheon Technologies for the purchase of NASAMS systems for Ukraine for $ 1.2 billion. Experts plan to complete the study by November 28, 2025.
The Ukrainian military command recently decided on a layered system for organizing air defense work. The system will be based on the German IRIS-T air defense, as well as the American NASAMS and Patriot.
The US military previously admitted that NASAMS air defense systems were 100% effective against Russian missiles.
Source: Focus
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