The Norwegian government and the Konsberg Defense and Aerospace Group announced Monday that they will supply Ukraine with new anti-drone systems, funded by Kiev’s allies, to strengthen its defenses against these weapons, which are used extensively by Russia.
The Norwegian defense group stated that it had signed a contract worth 65 million Euros with the International Fund for Ukraine established by the United Kingdom, with the aim of supplying Kiev with a number of “Cortex Typhoon C-UAS” systems.
The group didn’t specify the number of systems, indicating that they are capable of shooting down drones or neutralizing their threat.
“This contract will significantly enhance the capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces and strengthen their competence to protect the population and defend their country in the face of air threats,” Eric Lee, the group’s general manager said.
Within the same contract, the Norwegian government will supply Ukraine with “ATF Dingo 2” armored vehicles, heavy machine guns and ammunition.
The Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said in a statement that Western assistance is vital for Ukraine to be able to repel the brutal invasion that Russia launched in February 2022.
Drones are one of the most important weapons used in war as Russian forces has resorted to using them extensively against military and civilian targets in Ukraine, while the latter is increasingly resorting to it to target the Crimea peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, in addition to areas within Russian territory, all the way to the capital.
For its part, the Russian army announced that it had sent a fighter jet on Monday to intercept a Norwegian warplane that was approaching Russia’s borders over the Barents Sea in the Arctic Ocean.
“As the Russian fighter approached, the foreign military plane turned back,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement, explaining that the Norwegian Boeing B-8A “Poseidon” is for maritime patrols.
The Russian defense ministry added, “No violation of the borders of the Russian Federation was allowed,” stressing that the interception process took place within the framework of respecting international regulations “without cutting off air routes” and without “dangerous convergence”.
Similar incidents have been repeated in recent years, between Russian planes and others belonging to NATO member states, even before the start of the conflict in Ukraine.
It often got over the Baltic Sea as well as over the Black Sea.
Last April, the Norwegian army announced that it had monitored and revealed the identity of a Russian patrol, which included, in particular, two strategic bombers and three fighters, in international airspace over the Barents Sea, as part of its implementation of a NATO mission.
In a separate statement Monday, the Russian military announced that many of its strategic bombers and fighters had carried out planned sorties over international waters in the Baltic, Barents and Norwegian seas, as well as in Eastern Siberia and other regions.
