The Belgian government plans to purchase 10 NASAMS air defense batteries from the Norwegian company Kongsberg through the Netherlands.

 

The Belgian government has offered to purchase 10 NASAMS air defense batteries from the Norwegian manufacturer Kongsberg through the mediation of the Netherlands. The total value of the transaction is estimated at about 2.5 billion euros. Each battery will include four launchers. NASAMS is a medium—range mobile anti-aircraft missile system developed jointly by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace and the American Raytheon. The complex is designed to protect against various aerial threats, including airplanes, drones and cruise missiles, and is equipped with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radar and optoelectronic sensors. The deal is aimed at filling Belgium's air defense system deficit, which previously relied on F-16 fighter jets for air defense. The acquisition of NASAMS will strengthen the protection of strategically important facilities, including the port of Antwerp, and enhance the country's defense capability in the face of growing tensions in Europe. Similar systems are used in a number of countries, including Norway, the USA, Finland, Spain and Ukraine.