Canada to deliver NASAMS to Ukraine early next year

Canadian Defense Minister, Bill Blair, said this in an interview to CBC News, Ukrinform reports.

According to Blair, the latest information is that 10 NASAMS ordered by the United States will be delivered by the manufacturers Raytheon and Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace by the end of this year.

"Ours will be among that tranche of deliveries and we'll immediately get it to Ukraine," the minister added.

He specified that NASAMS should arrive in Ukraine in early 2025.

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Canada announced its intention to deliver NASAMS worth $300 million to Ukraine on January 10, 2023. The original agreements provided that Canada would reimburse the full cost of the new NASAMSto the US, in exchange, the United States would enter into a direct contract with Ukraine for the supply of these weapons. This was supposed to allow Canada to bypass the requirement to obtain US permission to re-export NASAMS to Ukraine. However, the implementation of this project ran into a number of bureaucratic obstacles that slowed down its implementation. In addition, each NASAMS system takes about two years to manufacture.

Canada sent ammunition for NASAMS to Ukraine in April 2023. This delivery was also announced last January, along with the promise to hand over a new air defense system.