Authorities in Oslo announced on Monday that they had agreed to buy AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air defense missiles from the US in a deal worth over 4 billion Norwegian kroner ($364m, €337m). It is one of the largest single purchases ever made by the Norwegian Armed Forces. In a statement released by the Norwegian Defence Material Agency, the country's Defence Minister Bjoern Arild Gram said, "with more and newer missiles, the Norwegian Armed Forces will have a better ability to protect Norway against air attacks." Norway shares a border of almost 200km with Russia and has been ramping up its defences since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The missiles purchased in the deal are primarily for the country's ground-based air defence systems. The weapons can also be fitted to F35A fighter jets, which Norway took part in developing. The country currently has 34 F35 jets in active service. The agreement is the latest move by Nordic countries to shore up their defence systems since Russia invaded Ukraine. While Norway, Denmark, and Iceland were founding members of the NATO alliance in 1949, Sweden and Finland had always resisted calls to join the defence pact despite becoming partners in 1994. At the NATO Madrid summit in June 2022, the two countries were formally invited to join, and official bids to become members were launched. Finland was accepted into the alliance in April 2023, with Sweden's bid delayed until the following year due to concerns raised by Turkey about the country's support for Kurdish political causes. Following its accession to NATO, Finland ramped up defence spending by more than €2 bn — an increase of 40%. Sweden, which reintroduced mandatory military service in 2017, increased its defence budget by 20%, aiming to reach 2.8% of GDP by 2028. As European leaders ponder how a potential second Trump presidency could affect US funding for NATO and support to Ukraine, countries across the continent have pledged higher defence spending and military aid to Ukraine. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has previously vowed that Norway would "support Ukraine in our words and our actions for as long as it takes." — Euronews
