Manufacturer of NASAMS air defense systems to establish company in Ukraine
Photo: Eirik Lie (Getty Images)
Norwegian company Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace plans to manufacture missiles for NASAMS air defense systems in Ukraine. This involves the production of hundreds of missiles, Eirik Lie, President of the company, says in an interview with Euractiv.
"We are now establishing a company in Ukraine. We are in close discussion with industry in Ukraine to establish a joint venture. The first priority is to increase missile production for our air defense system in Ukraine, based on Ukrainian technology," Lie explained.
According to the President of the Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, this involves mass production of missiles and the possibility of creating joint enterprises with Ukraine within a few months.
"In the long term, when the war is over, Ukraine can be part of the supply chain providing missiles for air defense systems. A lot of innovation is taking place right now in Ukraine, we will be part of that. It is important for us to be there," Lie said.
NASAMS for Ukraine
NASAMS is a Norwegian mobile surface-to-air missile system capable of launching 72 missiles in 12 seconds. It is used to shoot down aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles within a range of up to 40 km.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces received the NASAMS air defense system in November 2022. In January 2023, the Canadian Ministry of Defense stated that Ukraine would be able to receive the system purchased by the country as soon as it was prepared.
Later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine had received additional NASAMS air defense systems.
