The Norwegian authorities announced the decision to send regarding 100 Mistral anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, informs April 20 Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom. The weapons have already been taken out of the country.
“The conflict in Ukraine might drag on and the country is dependent on international support to counter Russian aggression. Therefore, the government decided to donate the Mistral air defense system to Ukraine,” Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said in a statement.
As noted in the publication, the government “decided to donate a total of 4 000 anti-tank missiles and several types of protective equipment and other military equipment. Some other countries, including Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany and the Baltic countries, also provide weapons and equipment,
“At present, the government has donated stocks of Mistral anti-aircraft missile systems (regarding 100 missiles) to the Armed Forces free of charge. The Mistral system was used on sappers and corvettes. This is the type of air defense that the Armed Forces are planning to replace. Therefore, the donation of missiles will not have a major impact on the national operational capacity. The missile will be discontinued by the Norwegian Armed Forces, but it is still a modern and effective weapon.