Norway to send 1,000 reconnaissance drones to Ukraine

Norway will send Ukraine 1,000 Black Hornet drones, Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said on July 12.

The small drone, which weighs 32 grams and is used for reconnaissance and target identification, falls into the "nano drones" category. They are reportedly "easy to operate," robust depending on the conditions, difficult to detect, and particularly well suited for combat in urban areas, Gram said.

Norway is part of a coalition of countries supporting Ukraine on a military level.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revealed on June 15 that a number of countries have pledged new military aid packages to Ukraine at the 13th Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels.

According to Austin, these countries include the U.S., the U.K., Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Norway, and Italy.

Norway will supply Ukraine with up to eight multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and three Arthur artillery location radars, Gram said on May 18.

The mobile radar system Arthur, jointly developed by Norway and Sweden, is designed to detect the enemy’s field artillery to destroy it.

The delivery will be carried out “in close collaboration” with the U.K., Gram said after a meeting with the U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.

The Norwegian defense minister added that his country would also double the number of its instructors training Ukrainian soldiers from this summer.

Norway takes part in Operation Interflex, launched in July 2022, involving instructors from eleven other nations.

Norway allocated $300 million for military support to Ukraine in the first year of Russia’s full-scale invasion. At the beginning of 2023, Norway’s parliament approved a 7.4 billion euro support plan for Ukraine as part of a five-year aid package.

Norway delivered eight German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks and four support vehicles to Ukraine on March 20.

By this spring, the Norwegian government also pledged to provide Ukraine with two firing units of the Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-air Missile System (NASAMS).

Ukraine to receive billions in military aid after Ramstein summit

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on June 15 that the U.S., the U.K., Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Norway, and Italy pledged new military aid packages to Ukraine at the 13th Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek