Skip to content
Edit post

Media: Belgium buys Sea Sparrow missiles from Germany to deliver to Ukraine

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk September 4, 2023 10:08 PM 1 min read
A Sea Sparrow missile launches from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during an exercise on Aug. 13, 2007. (Photo by Jordon R. Beesley/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

The Belgian Defense Ministry has bought a stock of short-range Sea Sparrow missiles from Germany and plans to deliver more than half to Ukraine, the Belgian newspaper L'Echo reported on Sept. 4.

Belgium bought 14 of the radar-guided sea-to-air missiles that were used on a now-decommissioned German frigate for €7,000 ($7,600) per unit.

The Belgian government plans to donate eight of the U.S.-made weapons to Kyiv.

While the delivery represents a relatively light form of military aid, "it illustrates the complementary nature of Belgian support", according to L'Echo's sources in the Defense Ministry.

The missiles could be recycled into surface-to-air missiles or used to equip drones, L'Echo added.

In January, Politico reported that Sea Sparrows were to be included in a U.S. military aid package, and that the Ukrainian military had found a way to modify its Soviet-era BUK launchers to fire them.

Earlier in the summer, Belgium announced plans to send refurbished M113 armored vehicles to Ukraine, together with the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

All three countries are also part of a new international coalition to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets announced at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

Media: Secret buyer purchases Leopard tanks from private Belgian stockpile for Ukraine
Belgian newspaper De Standaard reported on Aug. 7 that a secret buyer purchased 50 Leopard 1 tanks from a private company in Belgium to donate to Kyiv.

News Feed

MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.