About NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System):
- It is a medium-range, ground-based air defense system.
- It is designed to intercept aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles.
- It was designed and developed jointly by Raytheon (United States) and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (Norway).
- NASAMS reached operational capability in 1994 and was first deployed by the Royal Norwegian Air Force.
- NASAMS is operated by 13 countries and has been integrated into the U.S. National Capital Region’s air defense system since 2005.
- In addition to the S., Norway, Finland, Spain, The Netherlands, Oman, Lithuania, Indonesia, Australia, Qatar, Hungary, Ukraine, and one undisclosed country depend on NASAMS for homeland defense and the protection of critical assets.
- Features:
- It is built on a modular, distributed, open-hardware and software architecture.
- It is the world’s first networked short- and medium-range air defense system that could integrate with other equipment and air defense systems.
- It features an X-Band, 360-degree phased array air defense radar with a 75-kilometer range to identify targets.
- The primary weapon of the system is the AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM), which have an engagement range of about 30 kilometers.
- The NASAMS is armed with three launchers, each carrying up to six missiles.
- The system can engage 72 targets simultaneously in active and passive modes.
- It features network-centric, open architecture that provides increased survivability against electronic countermeasures.
- NASAMS can fire on target data provided by external sensors.
- Advanced emission control features of the radars minimize the risk of revealing the NASAMS unit's own position.
