Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
Ukraine has received its first delivery of NASAMS and Aspide air defense systems, its defense chief says, as the West continues to pour advanced weapons into the ex-Soviet republic despite Russia’s warnings.
In a tweet on Monday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the received defense systems would “significantly strengthen” the Ukrainian army against Russia in the course of the ongoing war that started on February 24.
“We will continue to shoot down the enemy targets attacking us. Thank you to our partners: Norway, Spain and the US,” Reznikov further wrote on Twitter.
NASAMS – the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System – is manufactured as a joint venture between US-based Raytheon Technologies and Norway’s Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace.
The weapon system is a distributed and networked short- to medium-range ground-based air defense system, designed to shoot down drones, helicopters, cruise missiles, and crewed fixed-wing aircraft.
Aspide, on the other hand, is an Italian medium range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile system, equipped with semi-active radar homing seeker.
Reznikov said last month that his country had received the first Iris-T defense system from Germany. The weapon is a medium-range infrared homing missile available in both air-to-air and ground defense surface-to-air variants.
