U.S. rushes arms to Ukraine amid uncertainty over Trump policy
The Joe Biden administration is working to secure as many aid packages for Ukraine as possible before Donald Trump potentially takes office. Trump's policy toward Ukraine remains unknown. The latest package includes ammunition for systems essential to Kyiv's defence.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Ukraine is soon to receive 500 missiles for the Patriot and NASAMS air defence systems, meeting Kyiv's needs until the end of 2024.
This delivery is crucial as temperatures drop and Russian attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure, like conventional power plants and combined heat and power plants, increase.
NASAMS and Patriot air defence systems — a shield against cruise and ballistic missiles
The NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System) was developed through collaboration between the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and the American company Raytheon. It entered service in Norway in 1998. Over time, NASAMS has been upgraded, with its second generation launched in 2007 and the latest third variant introduced recently.
This open architecture system uses air-to-air missiles as interceptors, simplifying logistics by eliminating the requirement for dedicated missiles in anti-aircraft systems. This feature allows NASAMS to integrate easily with over 25 confirmed radar types and missiles compatible with the Mil-Std 1760 aircraft rail.
NASAMS's advantage lies in its adaptability to new interceptors through software updates and launcher modifications, contributing to its export success. The system is used in 16 countries, including the USA, where it protects Washington. It's configured to operate with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, including the ER version with increased range, as well as with AIM-9 Sidewinder and IRIS-T missiles. There's also the potential for integration with MBDA Meteor missiles, which is dependent on future users' decisions.
The operating range of the NASAMS system heavily relies on the chosen missiles — it spans from just over 10 kilometres to about 40 kilometres. With AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, the range is about 32 kilometres, while the ER variant can slightly exceed 40 kilometres. The system is adaptable for destroying targets such as drones, helicopters, aircraft, and cruise missiles. The sole challenge is dealing with ballistic missiles, which makes NASAMS a perfect complement to the Patriot systems, focused on neutralizing such threats.
The Patriot system is a medium-range system capable of engaging targets at distances of up to 120 kilometres and 160 kilometres for PAC-3 MSE/CRI and PAC-2 GEM-T missiles. This makes it ideal for countering Russian bombers deploying glide bombs.
It's one of the few systems, alongside European systems like SAMP/T and the older MIM-23 HAWK, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at a distance of about 40 kilometres from the launcher. The main drawback of the Patriot is its sectoral radar with a 120-degree detection field and the high cost of its missiles, reaching several million dollars. The most expensive are the PAC-3 MSE and CRI missiles, equipped with their radar head, enabling them to operate in "fire-and-forget" mode.
Even though older batteries from the 1980s-90s were sent to Ukraine, in addition to the battery from Romania, they are effective against what were, until recently, considered very dangerous Russian hypersonic weapons.
