NATO Considers Sending Ukraine More Air-Defense Systems to Defend Against Russian Airstrikes

What’s the story?

• While the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) remains opposed to enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine to protect against Russian airstrikes, the U.S. and its NATO allies are considering other options for transferring weaponry that would help Ukraine continue to put up a tough defense of its airspace, which remains contested more than two weeks into the Russian invasion.
• Defensive aid to Ukraine will likely be a key topic of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s meetings at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday, in addition to his visits to NATO allies Slovakia and Bulgaria later in the week.

What could the aid include?

• The most practical option appears to be supplying Ukraine with types of Soviet-era surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems that Ukraine already uses, which will make it easier for the Ukrainian military to operate and maintain them. In particular, SAM systems that have a longer range and can hit targets at higher altitudes would complement the shoulder-fired man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) that NATO has provided Ukraine which are effective at shorter-range and lower altitudes.
• Several such systems remain in use by NATO countries, the most advanced being the S-300 mobile SAM system which can be used to defend against aircraft and cruise missiles. Three NATO countries operate the S-300 ― Bulgaria reportedly has 10 S-300 launchers, Greece has 32 launchers, and Slovakia has one system.
• Reuters reported that Slovakian Prime Minister Eduard Heger said on Sunday that sending his country’s S-300 to Ukraine will likely be discussed with Austin but noted that “you cannot hand over any equipment if you don’t have your own defense secured.”
• If any of those countries are willing and able to send some or all of their S-300 air defense systems to Ukraine, the U.S. and NATO may be asked to backfill that air defense capacity by repositioning existing assets within the alliance’s territory or producing more air defense systems for deployment in the near future.

What won’t the aid include?

• Two of the more prominent types of military aid that Ukraine has asked for ― MiG fighter jets that are in the inventory of several NATO air forces and U.S.-made Patriot missile systems ― have been ruled out at this time. 
• After Poland offered to transfer its MiG-29 fighter jets (a type which Ukraine’s air force also operates) into U.S. possession at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany so that they could be provided by NATO to Ukraine, the U.S. and other allies expressed concern such a plan could bring NATO into direct conflict with Russia. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that transferring combat aircraft like the MiGs to Ukraine “could be mistaken by Mr. Putin and the Russians as an escalatory step.”
• U.S.-made Patriot missile systems have been deemed a non-starter for Ukraine at this time because such systems aren’t in the inventory of Ukraine’s military, so Ukrainian personnel would have to be trained to operate and maintain them in the field which would prove a time-consuming process. The U.S. recently deployed American-crewed Patriot missiles systems to a base in Poland located near the Ukrainian border that is serving as a logistical hub for NATO’s aid to Ukraine.

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: EllsworthSK via Wikimedia / Creative Commons)