A National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) donated by Canada has arrived in Ukraine, Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair announced on Friday.
Canada announced the US-made system in January 2023 and reportedly paid for it in March 2023. However, the delivery was delayed for undisclosed reasons.
“This ground-based air defense system will help Ukraine protect itself against destructive air attacks. Canada’s support for Ukraine is steadfast and we will continue to step up and build on our contributions to Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s invasion,” Blair stated.
“We thank the United States, as well as our partners in Norway, for their collaboration and ensuring the safe arrival of Canada’s donation of this NASAMS to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
Canada purchased the 406 million Canadian dollar ($289 million) short-to-medium range air defense system from the US.
It comes days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Ukraine would receive the sixth planned IRIS-T air defense system by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the West last week to donate new air defense systems to the country following the firing of a new mid-range ballistic missile by Russia.
“Ukraine’s defense minister is already holding meetings with our partners on new air defense systems — exactly the kind of systems that can protect lives from new risks,” Zelensky said in a video address.
Canadian Military Assistance
The NASAMS is part of a 500 million Canadian dollar ($358 million) of military aid Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced for Ukraine on November 14, 2022.
Since February 2022, Canada has pledged 4.5 billion Canadian dollars ($3.2 billion) in military assistance to Ukraine, including armored vehicles, artillery, drone cameras, and winter clothing.
This includes ongoing efforts by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to transport Ukraine-bound military aid donated by Canada, allies, and partners. Over 22 million pounds (9.97 million kilograms) of military donations have been transported by the RCAF.
Additionally, over 350 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel are supporting the training of Armed Forces of Ukraine in the UK, Poland, and Latvia.
A total of 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained by the CAF.
Meanwhile, an additional 500 million Canadian dollars ($356 million) in aid was announced by Trudeau at the NATO Summit in July.