Country: United States Of America
Service Type: YES
Missile Type: Surface to air missile system
Washington DC (Washington Insider Magazine) — NASAMS is known as the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System. It is a distributed and networked short- to the advanced medium-range missile. The missile is a 4 ground-based air defense system and has been developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) and Raytheon. It is a system that works as a defense against unmanned aerial vehicles. The missile can be paired up with helicopters, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles to make an attack.
Specifications
- Effective firing range: Missile range: 30 km (NASAMS 2 / AMRAAM) 50 km (NASAMS 3 / AMRAAM-ER)
- Radar track range: 120 km (NASAMS 2 / MPQ-64F1)[4]
- Flight altitude: 21 km (NASAMS 2) 35.7 km (NASAMS 3 / AMRAAM-ER)
Buyers
NASAMS was purchased by several different countries and is currently in operation by the following countries:
- Australia signed the Contract for NASAMS-3 in March 2017. The country purchased the missile valued at A$2.5 billion. This system will be locally assembled by Raytheon Australia and is expected to replace RBS-70 systems currently in service. Australia received the NASAMS range air-to-air missile first launchers in 2022.
- Chile Ordered the missile in 2011
- Finland has a selected range of NASAMS-2 and purchased them in 2009
- Indonesia has Two NASAMS-2 batteries that were delivered in 2020 and are currently in service
- Lithuania has Two NASAMS-3 batteries that were delivered to them in 2020. Each one of the batteries was sent with four launchers and the deal was made at $128 million. In 2022 Lithuania is in the process of acquiring more units of this missile.
- The Netherlands has Two batteries which they purchased in 2006. Each of the units consists of 1 fire-control center, 1 AN/MPQ-64M2 radar, and 3 launchers, Hensoldt TRML-3D/32 search radar
- Norway — NASAMS-2 and NASAMS-3
- Oman Ordered the missile in January 2014 and purchased it for $1.28 billion
- Spain has Four fire units NASAMS-2 that were acquired in 2003
- Ukraine announced that they received the NASAMS system from the US in November 2022 and received another unit from Canada in January 2023
Recent Use In Battlefield
NASAMS is one of the most widely used air-to-air missiles in the world. It can hit higher than any other comparable system. NASAMS uses existing air-to-air missiles and is equipped with AIM-9 Sidewinder, AMRAAM, and AMRAAM-ER. Several older missiles in NATO’s arsenal are easy to fire with NASAMS batteries. It has an internal cooling system, that eliminates the need for launch-rail nitrogen supply required by the older missile systems.
In 2019, Qatar received an order for AMRAAM-ER missiles. On 1 July 2022, the United States announced that an $820 million military aid package will be sent to Ukraine. The delivery of NASAMS air defense systems was operated through Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the US defense official the existing Ukrainian air defense systems were operated in Soviet-type systems.
The missile became a part of the updating of Ukrainian air defense. It was prominent in the Soviet era and has been used in the modern one. On 29 July 2022, the US DoD shared that they will be following a formal process of buying the two NASAMS batteries of 12 mobile launchers. Each of the upgraded versions’ batteries will consist of almost six missiles and will be used for the defense of Ukraine.
On 24 August 2022, the US DoD announced that they will be providing six additional NASAMS units that will be equipped with an additional munition. These units were sent to Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. The Pentagon said that NASAMS will be delivered in “two months or so.
The initial NASAMS batteries for Ukraine arrived in the country in 2022. The Pentagon stated that NASAMS has a 100 % success rate and will play a good part in keeping Ukraine safe. During the Russian missile strikes on 15 November 2022, the NASAMS was used on the battlefield. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy disclosed that this system has shot down 10 missiles out of 10 targeted.
The United States is also making efforts to get NASAMS from Middle Eastern countries. According to Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes, the systems will be obtained from Middle Eastern countries and will later be updated with the new ones. However, Mr. Hayes has denied that these Middle Eastern countries will have to wait for 2 years to obtain a new air defense system NASAMS. It takes 24 months to build them and then even more time to deliver them to another country.
FAQS
1. What Can NASAMS Do?
NASAMS provides air defenders as it has a tailorable, state-of-the-art defense system. It can maximize the ability to identify, engage and destroy enemy aircraft. This missile is an unmanned aerial vehicle that emerges the cruise missile threats well.
2. How Many NASAMS Does Ukraine Have?
Ukraine has eight NASAMS but they will not be enough to protect all major cities and infrastructure all across Ukraine. Also, NASAMS is an expensive system, as each NASAMS battery costs $23 million. A single AMRAAM missile is worth more than $1.2 million and it can be difficult to purchase so many units of this missile.
3. How Good Are NASAMS?
The United States has announced that the system NASAMS has 100% effectiveness. It is an air defense system, that recently underwent a baptism of fire in Ukraine.
4. Can NASAMS Hit Ballistic Missiles?
NASAMS canister launcher shoot down drones, helicopters, jets, and cruise missiles. This missile is considered effective and can fight against the ballistic missiles of the type that Russia is trying to purchase from Iran.
5. What is NASAMS Success Rate?
NASMAS has a 100% success rate. The initial NASAMS batteries that arrived in Ukraine in early November 2022 have a proven record of success. The Pentagon stated that NASAMS has a 100% success rate and it was a success during the Russian missile strikes on 15 November 2022. According to President Zelenskyy the system shot down 10 missiles out of 10 targeted
Read More: RIM-161 Standard Missile 3: Specifications, Buyers & Recent Use In Battlefield
6. How Much Does a NASAMS Missile Cost?
The cost of one NASAM units platoon is worth $23 million.