One of the possible scenarios for the continued delivery of American weapons to Ukraine in the necessary volumes, despite Donald Trump's indication that there won't be new aid packages, involves a mechanism where European countries purchase weapons from the USA and are already sending them to Ukraine.
Amidst the announcement by the USA that it has officially destroyed global security and explained that Europe must solve its problems independently, Norway has begun implementing this mechanism to strengthen Ukraine's armament under the formula of "buying from the USA."
While it may just be a coincidence, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense recently announced the provision of air defense systems to Ukraine worth a total of 1.2 billion Norwegian krone - approximately 106.5 million dollars, following the outcomes of a contact group meeting on Ukraine's defense. It was noted that these funds will be used to procure weapons from the USA with the conditions of subsequent re-export.
The specific items to be procured have not been disclosed, but considering Norway's consistent support for Ukraine's air defense through the NASAMS systems, it can be inferred that this likely pertains to AIM-120 and AIM-9 missiles. Given that these are "air-to-air" missiles, it also relates to F-16 armament.
It is also possible that this involves the acquisition of additional radars used in NASAMS - AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel. These radars, like the missiles, are manufactured by Raytheon. Without the USA, ensuring the combat readiness of NASAMS is a rather unrealistic prospect.
At the same time, the amount of 106.5 million dollars is relatively significant for such purposes. Specifically, Norway has ordered additional NASAMS systems for itself in February 2024, partially revealing their cost. For four incomplete systems (two launchers each) along with a substantial ammunition stock, a total of 1.15 billion dollars was planned, of which 860 million dollars was allocated solely for missiles.
However, the exact details and potentially even the quantity may be disclosed in the near future, as the Pentagon publishes information about such contracts.
Additionally, it is worth noting that the USA allocated 1.132 billion dollars under the USAI program for the procurement of NASAMS for Ukraine, and these complexes were also purchased by European partners.