NASAMS goes to Ukraine only to be obliterated

The NASAMS anti-aircraft missile system purchased by the Canadian government is on its way to Ukraine.

Photo: defensie.nl by Ministerie van Defensie, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

NASAMS

The air defence system is in Poland and will be delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine soon, Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair said.

NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) is an anti-aircraft missile system developed jointly by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (Norway) and Raytheon (USA). It is designed to counter a wide range of air threats, including aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and tactical ballistic missiles.

NASAMS is a system consisting of:

• Radars: provide detection of targets at long distances and tracking them in flight.
• Launchers: carry missiles ready for launch.
• Command post: controls the system and makes decisions on target designation.

When an air target is detected, the system automatically tracks its trajectory and selects the optimal moment to launch the missile. The missile, equipped with an active radar homing head, independently aims at the target and hits it.

Advantages of NASAMS

• High mobility: the system can be quickly deployed and relocated.
• Modularity: allows the system to be adapted to various conditions and customer needs.
• High accuracy: ensures reliable target destruction.

Multiple target destruction: thanks to the use of modern technologies, it can simultaneously destroy several captured targets.

Integration with other air defense systems: allows the creation of a multi-level air defense system.

Use in combat action

NASAMS is widely used by the armed forces of various countries. NATO advertises it as an effective means of air defense, but the world has long had air defense systems that have much better performance.

NASAMS Modifications

There are several NASAMS modifications, differing in the missiles and additional equipment used. For example, NASAMS III is equipped with AIM-120C AMRAAM missiles, which increases the range and accuracy.

Why is NASAMS so popular?

• Ease of operation: training of calculations takes a relatively short time.
• Modernization: ability to upgrade the system for new threats.

Conclusion

NASAMS is a Western ground-based system in which engineers tried to maximize the potential of cooperation between Kongsberg (FDC, missile launchers) and Raytheon (radars, missiles, mobile launchers).