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The Australian Army has continued training with the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) since its first fire last year.
The 10th Fires Brigade used the surface-to-air missile system as a part of Exercise Raptors Strike in South Australia, demonstrating its suitability to “engage and destroy” identified targets.
The exercise involved evaluating the effectiveness of the mobility of the system as well as the operational set-up and relocation features.
A range of scenarios and potential combat situations were run by soldiers from the 16th Regiment Royal Australian Artillery.
“This journey has been years in the making and while we find ourselves at the end of the formal introduction into service, it’s just the beginning for the regiment and the deployment of the NASAMS,” said Lieutenant Colonel Owain Griffiths, Commanding Officer 16th Regiment.
“It’s the hard work and dedication of everyone in the brigade, regiment and project team that has delivered a state-of-the-art capability for the Australian Army and wider ADF.”
Using this system was a purposeful move as the NASAMS continues to work towards full operational capacity (FOC) expected later this year.
“We have already technically proven on a number of occasions the system’s ability to track targets through various sensors, including our radar systems, and then successfully engage with NASAMS utilising various missile types,” said Commander 10th Fires Brigade Brigadier Corey Shillabeer.
“To effectively protect the force and our partners from threats such as aircraft, missiles and drones, technical skills alone will not suffice.
BRIG Shillabeer said working towards FOC is a critical point in a system’s introduction into operation, as it validates its effectiveness and ensures crew safety and understanding is maximised.
“FOC is an important milestone as it means the integrated force has more options at its disposal.
“Our soldiers stand ready to step out the door and professionally undertake their mission anywhere across the globe.”
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