John Kirby, National Security Council strategic communications coordinator, said on Tuesday that Washington is working on an accelerated delivery of NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine.
It is reported by “European Truth” with reference to CNN.
According to Kirby, the US has already begun the process of delivering the first two NASAMS systems, and it will be completed “in the near future.” A White House spokesman declined to give a specific date for the arrival of the air defense systems, but said the US was “obviously interested in rapidly accelerating” the delivery of the system.
Recall that the United States announced the transfer of two NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine in early July as part of a military assistance package. In September, the Pentagon announced that the first two complexes would be transferred to Ukraine over the next two months.
In total, the United States has pledged to provide Ukraine with eight NASAMS systems, six of them in a $3 billion long-term aid package.
Jointly developed and manufactured by Raytheon and Norwegian Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, NASAMS consists of a Sentinel radar, an advanced medium-range air-to-air missile and a KDA fire distribution center.
NASAMS provides air defense defenders with an adapted, state-of-the-art defense system that can maximize their ability to identify, engage and destroy enemy aircraft, drones and cruise missiles.