Biden rushes aid to bolster Ukraine's defences before Trump
The Joe Biden administration is working to secure as many aid packages for Ukraine as possible before Donald Trump takes office, whose policy towards Ukraine remains unknown. The latest package includes ammunition for systems essential for Kyiv's survival.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Ukraine will soon receive 500 missiles for the Patriot and NASAMS air defence systems, which should meet Kyiv's needs through the end of 2024.
This is currently a critical delivery because, as temperatures drop, the Russians are intensifying attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure, such as conventional power plants and combined heat and power plants.
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 cooperation between the Norwegian firm Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and the American company Raytheon. It entered service in Norway in 1998. Over time, NASAMS has improved, with its second generation introduced in 2007 and the latest third variant appearing recently.
This is an open-architecture system that uses air-to-air missiles as interceptors. The designers intended this solution to simplify logistics by eliminating the need for dedicated missiles in anti-aircraft systems. This allows NASAMS to be easily integrated with over 25 confirmed radar types and missiles compatible with the Mil-Std 1760 aircraft rail.
NASAMS's advantage is its ability to adapt to new interceptors through software updates and launcher adjustments, contributing to its export success. The system is used in 16 countries, including the USA, where it protects Washington. It is currently configured to be used with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, including the ER version characterised by increased range, as well as with AIM-9 Sidewinder and IRIS-T missiles. There is also a potential possibility of integration with MBDA Meteor missiles, but this decision depends on the will of future users.
The operating range of the NASAMS system heavily depends on the selected missiles — it can range from just over 10 kilometres to about 40 kilometres. For instance, using AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, the range is about 32 kilometres, and for the ER variant, even slightly over 40 kilometres. The system is adapted to destroy targets such as drones, helicopters, aircraft, and cruise missiles. The only challenge remains ballistic missiles, which makes NASAMS a perfect complement to the Patriot systems, which are focused on neutralising such threats.
On the other hand, the Patriot is a medium-range system capable of engaging targets at distances up to 120 kilometres and 160 kilometres for PAC-3 MSE/CRI and PAC-2 GEM-T missiles, making it ideal for hunting Russian bombers deploying glide bombs.
It is currently the only system, besides European systems like SAMP/T and the old MIM-23 HAWK, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at a distance of about 40 kilometres from the launcher. The only disadvantage of the Patriot is its sectoral radar, which has a detection field of 120 degrees, and the cost of missiles, which can reach several million dollars. The most expensive are the PAC-3 MSE and CRI missiles, which have their own radar head and can operate in "fire-and-forget" mode.
Even though older batteries from the 1980s-90s were sent to Ukraine, besides the battery from Romania, they are capable of dealing with what was until recently considered very dangerous Russian hypersonic weapons.
