An Overview of NASAMS Air Defense System

NASAMS, or National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, as it is formally known, is a critical defense mechanism in modern warfare.

• NASAMS is a medium-range air defense system developed collaboratively by Raytheon and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, initially designed for the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF).
• It serves as a protective shield against air-to-surface threats from aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
• The NASAMS system also safeguards critical infrastructure and densely populated regions from airborne threats.
• The system has seen up to three upgrades to date, including NASAMS 2 and NASAMS 3, which were introduced in 2019.
• NASAMS 2, operational since 2007, employs radars and twelve missile launchers for effective identification and neutralization of enemy targets.
• The NASAMS system is equipped with advanced radar, infrared sensors, and missile canister launchers.
• One of the key features of NASAMS is its high mobility, making it easy to transport on several vehicles.
• The NASAMS missile system can engage up to 72 targets simultaneously, with its primary weapon being the AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile).
• Notably, NASAMS boasts of 360° defense capability and can operate under all weather conditions, during both day and night, along with multiple mission launch capability.
• The upgraded NASAMS 3 is equipped with a fire distribution centre (FDC) command-and-control unit capable of executing battle management command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (BMC4I) tasks.
• The NASAMS 3 upgrade has an extended range of up to 50 km.
• The latest NASAMS 3 variant is armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder and IRIS-T SLS short-range missiles with a range of 25km, and AMRAAM-ER extended-range missiles with a range of 50 km.
• The NASAMS system is in service in several countries, having been procured by many NATO allies.