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National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and other defence equipment have arrived in Ukraine after being donated by Canada.
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Canada’s donation of a NASAMS reportedly arrived in Ukraine late last month after being supplied alongside other military aid that Ukrainian defence forces can use to defend against Russia’s illegal attacks, including intensifying Russian air raids.
Canada has also donated more than 300 air defence missiles from Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) inventory since February 2022.
Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Blair has confirmed that the donation will help Ukraine strengthen its air defence systems against destructive air attacks on military sites, civilian critical infrastructure, and population centres.
“This ground-based air defence system will help Ukraine protect itself against destructive air attacks,” Minister Blair said.
“Canada’s support for Ukraine is steadfast and we will continue to step up and build on our contributions to Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s invasion.
“We thank the United States, as well as our partners in Norway, for their collaboration and ensuring the safe arrival of Canada’s donation of this NASAMS to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
In addition to Operation Unifier, Canada’s current training mission to Ukraine, the donation builds on previous deliveries of armoured vehicles, artillery, drone cameras, winter clothing, and ongoing efforts by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to transport Ukraine-bound military aid donated by Canada, allies and partners.
NASAMS’ short to medium range ground-based air defence systems can be utilised to protect against drone, missile and aircraft attack with a high success rate.
The high-priority donation was purchased by Canada from the United States and is a new build from Raytheon, in partnership with Kongsberg. The donation comes from the $500 million military aid to Ukraine that Prime Minister Trudeau announced on 14 November 2022.
Since February 2022, Canada has committed $4.5 billion in total military assistance to Ukraine. The Prime Minister announced an additional $500 million at the NATO Summit in July 2024.
Since late March 2022, the RCAF has been transporting Ukraine-bound military aid donated by Canada, allies and partners. To date, the RCAF has transported over 22 million pounds of military donations.
Currently, over 350 CAF members are supporting ongoing training missions in the United Kingdom, Poland and Latvia while facilitating the delivery of military donations to Ukraine.
Since the launch of Operation Unifier, the CAF has trained more than 43,000 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Canada extended this mission until March 2026.
