NASAMS - State-of-the-art missile defense system used by the US to protect Washington, DC

NASAMS stands for National/Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System is an advanced surface-to-air missile defense system deployed by the United States to protect Washington, DC as well as at many other key locations such as the National White against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), helicopters, cruise missiles and combat aircraft in general.

NASAMS is also a unique application of the AIM-120 AMRAAM - the world's most popular air-to- air missile with over 14,000 produced as of 2008. This medium-range air defense system is designed and manufactured by NASA Norwegian defense contractor Kongsberg cooperates with Raytheon of the US under the NASAMS cooperation program of the Royal Norwegian Air Force starting in the 90s. Currently, besides the US and Norway, NASAMS is supported by many other countries. used as Finland, Netherlands, Spain, Lithuania, Australia and Indonesia. Many other countries such as Oman, Hungary, and Qatar have also ordered NASAMS.

NASAMS is equipped with multiple rocket launchers.

NASAMS is equipped with a multiple rocket launcher (LCHR) , which can carry 6 rockets ready to fire. The design goal of the LCHR was to be able to easily transport, aim and fire missiles with different characteristics from the same launcher. 6 rockets can be launched in just a few seconds at 6 different targets. The NASAMS can be stationary or truck-mounted. Firepower is controlled by multiple integrated and coordinated systems.

The NASAMS can be stationary or truck-mounted.

NASAMS's "magic eye" is an X-band 3D radar system - AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel developed by Raytheon. The antenna uses phase-frequency electronic scanning technology, forming 3D beams that cover a large area. The radar platform rotates at 30 rpm to provide 360-degree scanning coverage, the radar is also designed with the ability to counter electronic countermeasures (ECM) and anti-radar missiles (ARM). The radar's maximum scanning range is up to 75 km and is most effective at a distance of 40 km. The system automatically collects, tracks, classifies, recognizes and reports high- and low-altitude targets such as guided missiles, UAVs, and rotary and flat-wing aircraft.

The antenna uses phase-frequency electronic scanning technology, forming 3D beams that cover a large area.

The BMC4I combat management system (command, control, communication, computing and intelligence) developed by Norway is called FDC, which stands for Fire Distribution Center. The FDC connects to the MPQ-64 radar to form the Acquisition Radar and Control System (ARCS). NASAMS capabilities are enhanced by a connected and distributed system of firepower.

NASAMS can be deployed with multiple launchers.

NASAMS can be deployed with multiple launchers, up to 12 launch tubes, 72 rockets on the same network and controlled simultaneously. In addition, mobile launchers mounted on trucks or light military vehicles such as the Humvee can also be connected to the FDC system for remote deployment and control up to a distance of 25 km from the FDC.

NASAMS also has a vehicle-mounted optical electronic (EO) sensor (MSP500).

In addition to the MPQ-64 Sentinel radar, NASAMS also has a vehicle-mounted optical electronic (EO) sensor (MSP500) that provides passive signal data to the FDC for passive engagements.

In the 1990s, the first generation NASAMS was deployed by the Royal Norwegian Air Force as an integrated ground-based air defense system called the Norwegian Solution (NORSOL) . This system connects ACRS with 2 air defense systems via wires and radio waves. NORSOL also incorporates RBS 70 man-portable air defense missiles and Bofors 40mm L70 cannons controlled by the Oerlikon Contraves FCS2000 tracking radar.

By the early 2000s, NASAMS 2 was in development, with the main upgrade being the Link 16 military standard tactical data link used by NATO and countries authorized by the MIDS International Programs Office (IPO). as well as the improved AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radar system. The new radar can be mounted on a variety of vehicles instead of a trailer platform, has its own operating power source, and can distribute data independently. The radar also has a wider frequency spectrum and multiple swing speeds for increased target detection and tracking.

The new radar can be mounted on a variety of vehicles instead of a trailer platform.

NASAMS 3 was improved and successfully test-fired by the Royal Norwegian Air Force in 2019. The 3rd generation of NASAMS was upgraded with FDC including many control screens, redesigned launch tubes to be able to fire anti-aircraft missiles. short-range AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II and extended-range AMRAAM-ER missiles alongside the AIM-120 AMRAAM. In addition, Raytheon also upgraded the radar for NASAMS 3 with the GhostEye MR system - an S-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with similar technologies to the radar used for the MIM-104 Patriot air defense system.

As mentioned, the main weapon of NASAMS is the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile . This is an improved medium-range air-to-air missile, deployed on many types of aircraft such as F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-22, F-4F, Sea Harrier, Harrier II Plus , Eurofighter, JAS-30 Gripen, JA-37 Viggen and Tornado. NASAMS uses subs such as AIM-120 AMRAAM B/C5 and C7. The customized AIM-120 carries 22.7kg or 18.1kg high explosive fragmentation heads, 2-stage guidance mechanism. Through radar, target data is sent to the missile just before launch, helping the missile to determine the position of the target from the launch point, direction and speed of the target. The missile then uses this data to follow the interception flight path using the integrated inertial guidance system (INS).. After launch, target data is continuously updated from the radar, allowing the missile to adjust its flight direction using its rear directional fins. As a result, the missile will be able to approach the target at self-guided distance, close enough to be able to capture the target in an area called the "basket" - the missile's radar field of view in which it can lock itself. pepper.

The main weapon of NASAMS is the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.

When the missile comes close to the self-guided range, it turns on the active radar detector and searches for the target. If the target is in or near the intended location, the missile will find the target and guide itself to the target from this point and then detonate. If the missile is fired at short range, within sight range (WVR) or near Boresight Visual range (BVR), this mode is also known as radar-free navigation, the missile will lock onto the first thing. that it sees. The AIM-120 AMRAAM flies at speeds up to Mach 4 (4900 km/h), launched from NASAMS, the AIM-120 AMRAAM has a maximum range of 33 km and a maximum altitude of 15 km.

Besides the AIM-120 AMRAAM, new generations of NASAMS can fire AMRAAM-ER rockets. The AMRAAM-ER is actually a variant of the RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow (ESSM) used on ships. It uses ESSM rocket boosters in combination with AMRAAM's two-stage guided probe, the range is extended to 50 km and reaches targets at an altitude of 25 km. NASAMS 3 launched Raytheon's famous short-range interceptor missile, the AIM-9 Sidewinder with the AIM-9X Siddewinder Block II variant. The video below shows the AIM-9X's interception test against remote-controlled F-4s.

In the US, NASAMS is used to protect the airspace over Washington, DC as well as the airspace around the White House. The US has also agreed to transfer NASAMS to Ukraine under a military aid package of $820 million. Two NASAMS systems will be delivered to Ukraine in the next few weeks, likely from the Norwegian arsenal. It is not clear what generation of NASAMS Ukraine will receive. Ukrainian forces will also need time to be trained in the use of NASAMS. Previously Ukraine relied heavily on air defense systems such as Buk (SA-11 Gadfly) or S-300, but many of them were destroyed. The advantage of NASAMS when deployed in Ukraine is that the country's military forces are using AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar systems. Furthermore, through the Fire Distribution Center (FDC), the NASAMS can be deployed in a distributed configuration with radars and missile batteries connected via a standard NATO tactical data link. FDC can manage 72 missiles at the same time, if one or more nodes in this air defense network is destroyed or goes offline, the rest will still work. This will help the system have a better chance of surviving Russian anti-aircraft defense (SEAD) strike missions when the country is using air-to-surface missiles such as Kh-31 (AS-17). Krypton) with the ability to effectively attack radar systems.