Norway will donate spare parts from its Sea King helicopters to Ukraine, helping the country support the operations and maintenance of helicopters donated by Germany. Berlin promised six helicopters to Ukraine earlier this year in support of Kyiv’s war efforts against Russia. The UK also plans to donate three of the aircraft, whose spare parts are hard to find as the old platforms are being retired worldwide.
For Ukraine’s Coast Guard, Norwegian Minister of Defence Bjorn Arild Gram stated that Norway considers it important to ensure that Ukraine is able to build its Coast Guard and increase its maritime capabilities as rapidly as possible. Norway replaced its Sea King fleet with Leonardo SAR Queen helicopters in 2023 after a service of 50 years. The platform couldn’t be donated to Ukraine, as it reached its maximum number of flight hours.
The donation is part of the UK-Norwegian Maritime Capability Coalition to bolster the Ukrainian Navy’s long-term capabilities and help it be more interoperable with NATO and western allies. Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide highlighted the strategic importance of the Black Sea and the maritime domain to Ukraine, emphasizing the country’s ability to export goods. The Maritime Capability Coalition is targeted towards the Ukrainian Naval Forces as a whole and encompasses the full breadth of maritime capabilities, including the Ukrainian Coast Guard. Minister Eide expressed his pleasure in being able to help Ukraine by providing spare parts from discarded Sea King helicopters to facilitate the establishment of the Ukrainian Coast Guard.
