The Norwegian government donated to Ukraine a batch of Mistral man-portable air defense systems consisting of 100 missiles and several launchers that were decommissioned by the Norwegian army.
This was stated by Bjorn Arild Gram, Minister of Defense of the country.
"The conflict could draw out in time, and the country is dependent on international support to withstand Russian aggression. The government has therefore decided to donate Mistral air defense to Ukraine," he said.
According to him, the Mistral air defense system is an effective weapon. These air defense systems are used by the Navy, in particular on corvettes, and will be of great benefit to Ukraine. This type of air defense is planned to be replaced by the Norwegian Armed Forces. Therefore, the donation of missiles will not have a major impact on the national operational capacity.
"The missile is going to be phased out of the Norwegian Armed Forces, but it is still a modern and effective weapon that will be of great use to Ukraine," said the Minister of Defense.
In total, Ukraine obtained about 100 air defense systems of this type. Other countries, including Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, and the Baltic countries, have also provided similar weapons systems.
Earlier, Norway provided 4,000 anti-tank missiles, several types of protective equipment, and other military equipment to Ukraine.
ADMS Mistral is a portable anti-aircraft missile system intended to destroy enemy low-flying helicopters and aircraft.