After both Denmark, Sweden and Finland have decided to support Ukraine with weapons for defense against Russia, the Norwegian government on Monday afternoon took the same line.
Based on what Ukraine needs most, and what the Armed Forces can give away the fastest, the government has decided to donate up to two thousand M72 anti-tank weapons produced by Nammo at Raufoss.
– Norway has a restrictive practice for the export of defense equipment, but Ukraine is now in an extraordinary situation, says Prime Minister Jonas Gahr in a press release.
Easy to use
M72 LAW (“lightweight antitank weapon”) was developed as a near-armored defense with a range of only a few hundred meters. It is a disposable weapon in caliber 66 mm without control system and has been produced at Raufoss since 1966.
Since then, the weapon system has been upgraded several rounds with, among other things, new sights and new ammunition.
This is a contribution to support Ukraine in their defense against the military invasion. These are weapons that are easy to use and are used to defend against attacking armored vehicles. The Armed Forces is now working to prepare and send the material as quickly as possible, says Minister of Defense Odd Roger Enoksen in the same message.
Norway has previously allowed other countries to support Ukraine with Norwegian-produced ammunition or weapons.
More anti-tank weapons
These are the M72 and ammunition from Denmark and the Netherlands. TU has so far not been able to confirm that there are 1,500 copies of M72 also Finland donates to Ukraine. The same applies to Belgium’s support, which also probably concerns a smaller number of M72s, in addition to two thousand machine guns from the domestic UN.
In addition, the USA has donated Mk 153 SMAW (“shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapon”) which is a weapon Nammo produces in the USA.
The Americans have also provided the more advanced, and expensive, anti-tank weapon FGM-148 Javelin. The British have sent similarly advanced NLAW (“next generation light anti-tank weapon”), which was developed by Saab in Sweden and produced in the United Kingdom.
Sweden has donated five thousand copies of Panzarskott m / 86, also known as AT-4, while Germany and the Netherlands have donated Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank missiles, in addition to Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.
On February 27, the government decided to donate protective equipment such as helmets and vests to Ukraine.
After consultations with the Storting, the government has decided to donate weapons to Ukraine. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine requires that we allow for very special decisions and measures, says Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt.
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