Specialists of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Air Defence Battalion are continuing their acquaintance with the NASAMS mid-range air defence system. A second group of soldiers is preparing to travel to the Kongsberg factory in Norway to take part in the tests of electro-optical sensors and radar communication subsystems together with representatives of the manufacturer and the Norwegian Armed Forces.
The testing is conducted in accordance with the methodology and programmes designed by the Norwegian Armed Forces and Kongsberg. "The factory trials are carried out in order to make sure that the produced system components meet the technical parameters agreed to in the contract, as well as to detect potential defects and remove them while still in the manufacturing process. As we already know, the systems will be delivered to Lithuania in mid-2020 and personnel will be trained to operate the new weaponry by the end of the same year," Chief of Staff of the Air Defence Battalion of the Lithuanian Air Force Maj Laurynas Ivanauskas said.
According to the Battalion Chief of Staff, personnel is currently conducting intense preparations and will be going to Norway periodically over the several coming months to test the NASAMS components.
All NASAMS components will be tested at the trials: missile launchers, radars, electro-optical sensors, integration components for the RBS70 short-range air defence systems, communication and control components, and vehicles.
The NASAMS medium-range air defence system is planned to be delivered to Lithuania by the end of 2020. Once the systems are delivered, specialist operator training will begin at the Lithuanian Air Force Air Defence Battalion.
The contract for procuring the NASAMS mid-range air defence system for the Lithuanian Air Force was signed by the Ministry of National Defence and Norway's Kongsberg NASAMS manufacturer on 26 October 2017. Upon the completion of the project, Lithuania will have acquired a complete and integrated medium range air defence capability.
The system procured by Lithuania is new, except for the launchers that are pre-used by the Norwegian Armed Forces and currently updated to the most recent version of the system parameters.
The systems procured from Norway use U.S.-made AMRAAM aircraft defence missiles capable of destroying aircraft and missiles of an adversary several tens of kilometres away. By 2021, all the equipment is planned to be fully delivered to Lithuania, personnel trained, and all the NASAMS and RBS-70 components integrated into the Lithuanian and NATO system capable of completing air defence tasks: monitor and control air space, issue warning to ground-based units about air threats, and to destroy targets if necessary.
Photo credits: Air Defence Battalion, NASAMS manufacturer
