This is NASAMS, the powerful anti-aircraft system with which Taiwan will defend itself against Chinese fighters, drones and missiles.

The tension between China and Taiwan is increasing by the minute. If the Asian giant carried out live-fire military maneuvers on Niushan, the island closest to Taipei, the Taiwanese government brought tanks into the streets during the annual Chang Tai 19 exercise. island country want to test the situation. capacity of its armored brigades to cover more than 100 kilometers in a short time, to which is added the news of the purchase of NASAMS anti-aircraft systems in the United States. These are platforms with proven combat effectiveness, the same as those that the Spanish army deployed in 2022 to monitor the skies of Latvia against the Russian threat.

The three units of the national advanced surface-to-air missile system included in the agreement They will be essential for Taiwan’s air defense to deal with threats. like the Flying Shark, the powerful Chinese fighter equipped with 4,000 km/h missiles, or the mysterious Scorpion drone and its high-altitude spy missions. The contract was released by the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), after being approved by President Biden’s State Department.

Although details may change before final sale, the cost is estimated at over a billion euros and includes, in addition to the launchers, the AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radars, fire distribution centers (FDCs) , electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) systems and tactical control center (TCC) systems. The munitions included in the deal are 123 AMRAAM-ER air-to-air missiles, with a maximum range of 40 km.

NASAMS

The development of the NASAMS air defense system started in the 90s as a Norwegian Air Force program. To carry it out, the national company Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace joined forces with the American Raytheon and they managed to put it into service in 1998.

This first version was immediately followed by an improvement process which resulted in the launch of the NASAMS 2, which completed its official testing period in 2006. This second model is the one available to the Spanish Army and the one included in the contract signed between Taiwan and the US State Department.

Each of the batteries incorporates an MPQ-64 Sentinel radar manufactured by Raytheon and integrated throughout the system. It has 3D detection using the X-ray band. The Sentinels are one of the great commercial successes of the American company, which has been manufacturing them continuously since the 90s, with several improvements over the last decades.

This sensor uses a 30 revolutions per minute rotating mechanism that allows for 360 degree coverage. In addition, it was developed to provide great resistance to electronic weapons, countermeasures and anti-radiation missiles, capable of neutralizing any device of this type.

Concerning the specifications, the manufacturer announces a maximum detection radius of approximately 75 kilometers and an effective radius of 40 kilometers. There are improved versions that reach up to 120 kilometers, although they are generally more limited due to the missiles.

One of the particularities of the second version of NASAMS is its integration with the Link 16 data transmission system, a telecommunications network of NATO countries – and some allies with special authorization – which aims to share data between all staff. This includes everything from anti-aircraft systems such as NASAMS to warships and all types of military aircraft.

“The sales project will improve the recipient’s ability to deal with current and future threatscontributing to the recipient’s capabilities to defend its airspace, ensure regional security and increase interoperability with the United States through its NASAMS program,” DCSA said in the press release announcing the agreement.

Missiles

The ammunition included in the sales box is the AMRAAM-ER (Advanced medium-range air-to-air missile, extended range or Advanced medium-range air-to-air missile with extended range). Specially designed by Raytheon and Kongsberg for launch from NASAMS, provide a significant increase in maximum range and intervention altitude compared to the AIM-120 standard.

This extended-range version incorporates a series of modifications, including the guidance section of the AIM-120 C-8, a more robust 10 mm diameter missile, a 10-inch rocket motor produced by the Nammo company and a 10 inch control actuator. This is a very recent update, since the first effective firing of this missile from a NASAMS system took place in February of that same year, and allows double missile range to 40 km.

In addition to this ammunition, as explained in The war zoneAndI NASAMS is capable of firing AIM-9X Sidewinder and IRIS-T missiles. These are projectiles also used by the Taiwan Air Force’s (ROCAF) fleet of 160 F-16V fighters. This represents a great advantage compared to other types of anti-aircraft defense, although Taipei’s 400 AMRAAM units are clearly insufficient facing a prolonged conflict with China.

These types of missiles are considered “fire and forget” and are guided using onboard systems, rely on the radar ecosystem to achieve the objective. In its basic version, it weighs a total of 157 kilograms, of which 35 kg corresponds to the warhead.

It has a maximum range of 25 kilometers, although the effective range is reduced to a dome with a radius of between 7 and 10 kilometers at a height of 10,000 meters. In addition, it has a semi-active guidance system with inertia and an active terminal radar to cover the last meters. The land-launched version has a maximum speed of 2,500 kilometers per hour.