Canada’s NASAMS air defense system is already in Ukraine, - Defense Minister Blair
Canada has handed over the latest NASAMS air defense system to Ukraine, as promised last year.
This was announced in Ottawa by Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.
"I can't disclose any more details about this because of operational security, but we were finally able to deliver it," Blair said when asked about the timing of the delivery of the promised NASAMS to Ukraine.
He added that the new air defense system "will change the situation, as it will allow Ukrainians to defend their settlements."
As a reminder, Canada announced its intention to transfer the NASAMS air defense system to Ukraine, worth more than $300 million, on January 10, 2023. The original agreements stipulated that Canada would reimburse the United States for the full cost of the new NASAMS system, while the United States would enter into a direct contract with Ukraine for the supply of these weapons. This was supposed to allow Canada to circumvent the requirement to obtain US permission to re-export NASAMS to Ukraine. However, the project faced a number of bureaucratic obstacles that slowed its implementation. In addition, it takes about two years to manufacture each NASAMS system.
It should be noted that Canada handed over ammunition for NASAMS to Ukraine back in April 2023. This delivery was also announced in January last year, along with a promise to provide a new air defense system.
