Norwegian NASAMS: A game-changer in Ukraine's air defense
The Norwegians boast that their NASAMS air defence system has intercepted 900 objects in Ukraine with a 94% success rate. This is an impressive result and serves as an excellent advertisement for this highly adaptable system. Let's explore what it can do.
In an interview with the portal Aftenposten, Colonel Per Steinar Trøite of the Norwegian Air Force, who serves as the head of the support group for Ukraine responsible for, among other things, the training process, revealed that the Ukrainians have intercepted 900 objects using NASAMS batteries.
The success rate of these interceptions has reached 94%, primarily involving challenging targets. Notably, 60% of the downed objects were cruise missiles from the Kh-101, Kh-555, Kalibr, Iskander-K, Kh-59, and Kh-69 families. These currently represent Russia's main means of attack, alongside drones like the Shahed, which mainly serve to conceal cruise missiles.
NASAMS System — a visionary and open air defence system from Norway
The NASAMS air defence system, or Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System, was developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace in collaboration with American RTX (formerly Raytheon), and was introduced into service in Norway back in 1998. Since then, the system has been improved, and in 2007, a second version was unveiled. Currently, the third variant of this system is available.
The primary goal of the developers was to create an anti-aircraft system with open architecture, capable of using air-to-air missiles employed on aircraft, significantly streamlining logistics compared to systems with dedicated missiles. Consequently, a system was created that allows easy integration with numerous radars—currently, as many as 25 different designs have been approved—and missiles that only need to be compatible with the Mil-Std 1760 aircraft rail.
Openness to multiple strike systems
In this context, all that is required is the modernization of the launcher and software updates to work with new missiles. This solution has resulted in significant export success for the Norwegians, as evidenced by its 16 users worldwide.
The current NASAMS configuration uses AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, including the extended-range ER variant, as well as the AIM-9 Sidewinder and IRIS-T missile family. Additionally, integration with MBDA Meteor missiles is likely to occur over time if user demand exists.
The performance of the NASAMS system closely depends on the missiles used, with its effective range varying from below 20 kilometres to above 30 kilometres. For example, with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, the range is 30 kilometres. This system can destroy a variety of targets, such as drones, helicopters, airplanes, and cruise missiles.
However, ballistic missiles pose a more considerable challenge, which is why NASAMS effectively complements Patriot systems capable of neutralizing these more serious and infrequent threats.
