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Politico: US wants to quickly transfer air defense systems from Middle East to Ukraine

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The news comes as Moscow is reportedly preparing to step up massive missile strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure

The US is working with countries in the Middle East to transfer some of their air defense systems in Ukraine, Politico reports, citing statements from the CEO of Raytheon Technologies.

The news comes as Moscow is reportedly preparing to step up massive missile strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, which have left millions of homes without power.

The goal is to send advanced anti-aircraft systems (NASAMS) to Ukraine within the next three to six months, the company’s CEO Greg Hayes said in an interview. The US will then replace these systems in the Middle East with new NASAMS over the next 24 months.

“There are NASAMS deployed throughout the Middle East and some of our NATO allies and we [οι ΗΠΑ] we’re actually working with some Middle Eastern countries to go to Ukraine,” Hayes said.

He clarified the transfer of systems from the Middle East is tsuperior to their USA manufacture. The Biden administration would have to approve the transfer. A spokesman for the US Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Politico’s request for comment.

Ukrainian officials have been lobbying the US for months to send NASAMS to counter Russian missile attacks. The systems have a longer range than the current air defense equipment that Western countries have sent to Ukraine. The first two anti-aircraft systems arrived in early November, and the US has promised more to Kyiv.

On Wednesday, the US military awarded a contract worth up to $1.2 billion to deliver six NASAMS to Ukraine by 2025. The deal is part of the fifth package of the Ukraine Security Initiative and includes training and logistical support.

Raytheon declined to name the Middle Eastern countries that would send the systems to Ukraine, but buyers of the weapons systems in the region they are Oman and Qataraccording to Defense Security Cooperation Agency records.

Training to use NASAMS normally takes six months, but the Ukrainians were apparently able to be trained in 60 days.

US NASAMS anti-aircraft systems have 100% success in intercepting Russian missiles in Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on November 16.

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