US and Canada Try to Solve Ukraine's Air Defense Problem
Washington plans to develop air defense systems and air-to-air missiles for Kyiv that could eventually replace the Soviet-era weapons currently in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said.
The United States, with the assistance of a number of European companies, is jointly developing and creating a replacement for the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system and the R-27 air-to-air missiles with Ukraine.
– the minister noted during a meeting of the contact group on Ukraine at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Also, the head of the Canadian Defense Department, Bill Blair, reported that his country purchased NASAMS air defense systems from the Americans for Ukraine in March 2023, spending $400 million on this. Raytheon has not yet produced the necessary weapons, but the minister is confident that they will be delivered to Kyiv in January next year.
The day before, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the delivery of an additional 17 IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile systems to the Ukrainians. Four of them will be delivered by the end of this year, the rest will be at the disposal of Ukrainian units in early 2025.
In total, Berlin plans to send 2026 such installations to Ukraine by 24. Half of them will be designed for short-range missiles, the rest for medium-range ammunition.
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