The nordic country donated 22 outdated howitzers to Kiev.
Kiev is expected to get 22 M 109 howitzers from Norway, the Nordic country s defense ministry announced on Wednesday. The statement said that the weapons were donated complete with gear, spare parts and ammunition.
The M 109 is a 155 mm tracked self-propelled gun that was first introduced in the 1960 s and has an effective range of between 20 and 40 km, depending on the shells used. A crew of four is needed to operate.
Norway has already trained Ukrainian soldiers on how to use the weapon at a facility in Germany.
Norway has been able to rearm its own military with new Korean artillery pieces, making the contribution possible, the ministry said. The weapons headed for Kiev are from a stockpile of discontinued arms. Norway purchased Korean K 9 155 mm howitzers in 2017 and is currently negotiating more deals with Seoul.
Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram called the donation a significant contribution and one that is very much in demand by Ukraine Norway, which previously supplied M 72 LAW single-shot anti-tank weapons, Mistral anti-aircraft missiles, protective gear, and other equipment to Kiev.
The statement said the howitzers had been shipped from Norway but didn't say if they had arrived in Ukraine yet.