Norwegian Government will donate Hellfire missiles to Ukraine. The donation includes approximately 160 missiles, launching pads and guidance units. The missiles were originally acquired for the Coastal Ranger Commando. Ukraine will also receive night-vision equipment drawn from Armed Forces inventories. The donation was announced by Norwegian Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram when he met Defence Ministers from 40 or so countries in Germany today. Western countries are in Ramstein to coordinate further donations and military support to Ukraine, to secure that the country can withstand the Russian invasion.
So far, we and our allies have donated military systems and equipment from our own stocks. In the future we will need to cooperate closely with the defence industry in order to maintain necessary deliveries of military equipment to Ukraine. This will also ensure that Ukraine receives more modern and efficient equipment,”Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram said.
“This is a weapon that Ukraine has asked for, and it will prove useful in their fight against Russian invasion forces. The missile is easy to operate, and can be used against both land- and sea-targets,”Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said.
The Norwegian Armed Forces tested and verified the status of the missiles prior to their shipment. They have now been shipped from Norway. Ukrainian operators have been trained in the use of Hellfire by Norwegian instructors. The Hellfire system is nearing the end of its service life was scheduled to be phased out the Norwegian Armed Forces. Norway has also donated night-vision equipment to Ukraine. This includes both night vision goggles and binoculars. This is equipment that has been replaced by newer equipment in the Norwegian Armed Forces. In the future, donations will to a lesser extent come from the Armed Forces’ own inventory.
The AGM-114 Hellfire is an air-to-ground missile (AGM) first developed for anti-armor use, later developed for precision drone strikes against other target types. It was originally developed under the name Heliborne laser, fire-and-forget missile, which led to the colloquial name “Hellfire” ultimately becoming the missile’s formal name. Sweden and Norway use the Hellfire for coastal defense and have conducted tests with Hellfire launchers mounted on the Combat Boat 90 coastal assault boat. The RBS 17 (Robotsystem 17) is a Swedish variation of the AGM-114C Hellfire air-to-surface missile. It has been adapted for Anti-ship role and can be launched from Naval vessels or a ground firing post.
