The United States began negotiations with the countries of the Middle East on the transfer of NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine. This was stated in an interview with Politico by Greg Hayes, head of Raytheon Technologies, which produces them.
According to him, the goal of the United States is to send NASAMS to Ukraine within the next 3-6 months, which are now located in the Middle East. After that, the States in the next two years will have to provide him with new ones. Hayes noted that moving NASAMS from the Middle East is faster than building them in the US. It takes two years to produce one complex, as it takes time to purchase electronic components and rocket engines.
Hayes declined to name countries that could transfer NASAMS to Ukraine, but Politico refers to data from the Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which indicates that we are talking about Oman and Qatar. The first signed a contract with Raytheon Technologies in 2014 for delivery in 2016, and Qatar received approval to purchase in 2019. The number of installations they purchased is not specified.
Ukraine has already received two NASAMS batteries from the United States and expects six more as part of the next aid package. About 60 Ukrainian military personnel have been trained in their use by the Norwegian firm Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, which is also the developer of NASAMS. Usually it takes six months, but the Ukrainians passed it in two months.
