Anita Anand: early delivery of NASAMS SAMs to Ukraine is possible

Canada intends to supply air defense missile systems NASAMS to Ukraine as soon as possible and it is not a question of years.

This was announced by the Head of the Defense Ministry of Canada Anita Anand to the journalist Rosemary Burton on January 15 on CBC.

Canada's announcement about the purchase of the air defense system came amid an intense campaign of Russian air strikes against Ukrainian electricity infrastructure. The air defense system, which Canada intends to supply, has not yet been manufactured. The head of Raytheon Technologies, one of the companies that produce NASAMS, said it would take about two years to produce the system.

But Defense Secretary Anand said Canada is aiming for a shorter time frame, noting that they purchased both the system and the munitions at the same time.

"The delivery will happen as soon as possible, may involve multiple shipments, and will be done as soon as possible..... We're not thinking about years at this point," Anand said.

She added that a close partnership with the United States was a key factor in this purchase.

Author - Olena Madiak, 16/01/2023