“NATO leadership plans to strengthen its activities under the GBAD and SBAMD C2 Tier programs related to the creation of new air defense and missile defense systems,” the blog’s weekly press release states.
GBAD, Ground-Based Air Defense System, is a promising ground-based modular air defense system. The program includes the creation of short-range, short-range and medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems / systems, as well as means of radar reconnaissance and information processing. There are currently 15 NATO member countries participating in the program.
NATO plans to sign a memorandum of understanding on the GBAD program by the end of 2022, begin the conceptual phase of the project in 2023, and continue the program’s final deployment around 2028.
The alliance also plans to sign a memorandum of understanding this year to establish a multinational command and control system for a battalion and brigade-level ground-based air and missile defense system. -Based Air and Missile Defense at battalion and brigade level).
The deployment timeline will be similar to that of the modular GBAD program. The Alliance emphasizes that these two projects are united by “a common idea”.
“The question is how to combine multiple air defense and missile defense systems to cover all possible threat scenarios, from drones, cruise missiles, manned aircraft to tactical ballistic missiles,” said Camille Grand, NATO Deputy Secretary General for Defense Investments. reporters..
Although the two programs were launched in NATO before the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, short-range and short-range air defense systems have played an important role in this conflict since the beginning of hostilities. , helicopters and tactical missiles, Grand said.
“We see a number of important lessons from the conflict in Ukraine that will affect our future air and missile defense decisions,” he said.
By contrast, “during hostilities in Ukraine, an incredible number of operational-tactical and army sorties were launched,” Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the former commander of US ground forces in Europe, told Defense News in an interview. cruise and tactical ballistic missiles are being made,” he said.
He noted that these sorties helped NATO and the bloc’s allies identify the systems needed to repel such attacks. Ben Hodges stressed that the GBAD Modular Program and the SBAMD C2 effort “reflect these requirements, but that the alliance must ensure the appropriate information sharing policy to maximize its combat capabilities.”
According to Hodges, NATO member states should plan and conduct joint multinational exercises in which the final requirements for the emergence of a promising air and missile defense system will be determined.
There is indeed a serious gap in the US armed forces, and therefore in NATO in principle, to equip troops with effective short- and medium-range tactical anti-aircraft missile systems and systems. At this stage, the Americans do not have air defense systems / air defense systems that can be compared in terms of fire performance and noise immunity with the Russian anti-aircraft tactical missile systems “Tor”, “Pantsir” and “Buk-M3”. “.
In the United States, practical work has been going on for a long time to create such systems.
Specifically, at the end of fiscal year 2020, General Dynamics Land Systems signed a $1.2 billion contract to build and supply an intermediate short-range maneuverable air defense system for the US Army (US Army’s Interim Maneuverable Short-Range Air Defense system). , IM-SHORAD).
The IM-SHORAD system is a medium-range maneuverable air defense system of the US Army for equipping air defense units of brigades (brigade tactical groups).
Anti-aircraft missile system based on the Stryker combat vehicle, Leonardo DRS, Inc. It will include a range of equipment developed by This kit also includes the Raytheon Stinger launcher designed to hit targets at low and extremely low altitudes (airplanes, helicopters, UAVs).
The creation of such a system would be a response to the acute shortage of tactical air defense and missile defense capabilities in Washington’s European theater of operations – namely in Ukraine.
The author’s view may not coincide with the editors’ position.
Author biography:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military observer for socialbites.ca, a retired colonel.
Graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976),
Air Defense Military Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile battalion (1980–1983).
Deputy commander of an anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior officer of the Air Defense Forces Chief of Staff (1988-1992).
General Staff Main Operations Directorate Officer (1992-2000).
Graduate of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000–2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010–2015).