Taiwan has announced the deployment of NASAMS, a medium-range ground-based air defense system, in North Taiwan to protect Taipei. Developed by Raytheon and Kongsberg, it defends against aircraft, missiles, and UAVs. NASAMS features a radar system with a 75 km range, three launchers, and uses AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles for defense.
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Taiwan has announced that its newly purchased, cutting-edge, battle-proven National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) will be deployed in North Taiwan to protect Taipei's capital.
Feature |
Details |
Type |
Medium-range ground-based air defense system |
Developers |
Raytheon (United States) and Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace (Norway) |
Operational Since |
1994 |
First Deployment |
Royal Norwegian Air Force. |
Countries Using |
13 countries including Norway, Spain, the US, Finland, Hungary, Netherlands, Australia, and more. |
Purpose |
Defense against aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, UAVs, and air-to-ground threats |
US Integration |
Part of the American capital's air defense since 2005. |
Unique Feature |
First connected short- and medium-range air defense systems, integrable with other systems. |
Radar |
X-Band 360° phased-array radar, 75 km range. |
Launchers |
Three launchers, each carrying six missiles. |
Missiles Used |
AIM-120 AMRAAM (modified for ground strikes, 30 km range). |
Target Capability |
Engage 72 targets simultaneously in active and passive modes. |
Architecture |
Open, network-centric, and resistant to electronic countermeasures. |
Feature |
Details |
Ballistic Missile Defence System |
2-tier missile defense system to intercept ballistic missiles up to 5000 km range at exo- and endo-atmosphere. |
1st Layer: Endo-atmosphere |
Advanced Air Defence (AAD) low-altitude interceptor (Ashwin); intercepts missiles at 20-40 km altitude. |
2nd Layer: Exo-atmosphere |
Prithvi Air Defense Vehicle (Pradyumna); intercepts missiles with 300-2000 km range at 80 km altitude. |
Extended Exo Capability |
Agni-V-based ballistic interceptors for altitudes up to 150 km for missiles with 5000 km range. |
Akash Medium-Range SAM System |
Indigenous system with 2 regiments, multi-target engagement, 25 km range, and 18,000 m altitude strike capability. |
Multi-layered Air Defence System (Delhi) |
|
1st Layer |
2-tier Ballistic Missile Defence System |
2nd Layer |
S-400 layered defense system |
3rd Layer |
Barak-8 long- and medium-range SAM |
4th Layer |
Akash medium-range SAM |
5th Layer |
NASAMS-2 |
NASAMS-2 |
Acquired from the US; protects vital assets in Delhi NCR, including Parliament and President's House. |
NASAMS-2 Features |
12 multi-missile launchers (AMRAAM and Stinger), Sentinel X-band 3D radars, 4 Fire Distribution Centers, and advanced electro-optical/infrared sensors. |
Hypersonic Missiles |
|
Speed |
Mach 5 or higher (over 1 mile per second). |
Propulsion |
Scramjet engine: collects oxygen from the atmosphere and combusts with hydrogen for hypersonic travel. |
India's HSTDV |
Unmanned scramjet demonstration vehicle; cruises at Mach 6, reaches 32 km altitude in 20 seconds. |
Hypersonic Weapon Delivery Systems |
1. Hypersonic Cruise Missiles (HCM) 2. Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV). |
READ ABOUT
Source:
PRACTICE QUESTION Q.Consider the following statements regarding the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS):
Which of the above-given statements is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Answer: c Explanation: Statement 1 is correct: NASAMS is a medium-range air defense system developed jointly by Raytheon (USA) and Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace (Norway). NASAMS uses AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, modified for ground strikes, with a range of about 30 km. Statement 2 is correct: NASAMS is designed to protect high-value assets and population centers from various aerial threats, including aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs. NASAMS is capable of engaging up to 72 targets simultaneously in both active and passive modes. |
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