How strong is a country’s air defense system?

How strong is a country’s air defense system?

European countries are worried about the country’s air defenses in the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The world has already seen Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for an Iron Dome missile defense system for Israel. According to the BBC, in a virtual speech to the Israeli parliament on Sunday, Zelensky questioned Israel’s reluctance to sell the Iron Dome missile defense system to Ukraine. Zelensky believes he can protect his country if he has a strong air defense system.

 According to Forbes, air defenses are crucial in modern warfare. Russia’s attack on Ukraine has raised the issue of strong air defenses. In the wake of the Russian missile strike on Ukraine, the Ukrainian president has called for an emergency air defense to the West.

Samar experts believe that the damage can be avoided if there is a strong air defense system. In the current situation, all the powerful countries of the world have air defense systems. But with the development of current hypersonic missiles, many countries are further improving their air defenses.

With strong air defenses, the country feels much more secure. These measures can quickly destroy enemy missiles for the protection of the country. Some countries in the world also trade in air defense systems. Let’s see what kind of air defenses some of the notable countries have.

United States

When it comes to strong air defenses, the name of the United States will come first. The country has a special air defense system called Thad. Thad means, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense. Thad could be easily moved from one place to another as part of the US anti-ballistic missile defense system. It is capable of destroying any missile up to a distance of 200 km. Its success rate is almost 100 percent. This result has been found in 16 experiments since the start of production.

The United States also has a David Sling air defense system. It used to be called Magic Wand. It was created by Raytheon in the United States and Raphael Advanced Defense Systems in Israel. This tool is capable of intercepting enemy warplanes, drones, missiles and rockets. David Sling has special radar and scanning facilities; So that it can detect and destroy incoming missiles.

The United States also has another type of air defense system called the MIM-104 Patriot. The MIM-104 Patriot is ready to repel enemy attacks in any weather and situation. It is effective in dealing with ballistic, cruise or advanced aircraft of any range or height. It is a joint venture between Raytheon, Massachusetts, and Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control, Florida.

The United States has another type of air defense system called the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MIDS). This system can build 360 degree resistance. Mids can destroy missiles coming from any direction. The United States, Germany, and Italy are among the countries that have developed the weapon.

Israel

Israel’s name comes up after the United States in terms of air defense. In addition to the David Sling, the country has a special air defense system called the Iron Dome. Recently, the Iron Dome came under discussion after blocking a rocket fired by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. It is a joint venture between Israel’s Aerospace Industry and Rafale Advanced Defense Systems. This system is capable of destroying enemy missiles from a distance of up to 60 km. In today’s world, Israel’s Iron Dome is known as a much more effective air defense system.

Russia

Russia is not far behind in terms of air defense. Russia has an anti-aircraft defense system called S-400 Triumph. It was created in 1990 by the Almaz Central Design Bureau of Russia. It can launch three types of missiles simultaneously. It is a multi-function radar, can perform various tasks including automatic missile detection, targeting. Russia also has S-300VM or anti-2500 long-range anti-ballistic missile defense system. It was created by a company called Almaz-Ante. It can intercept any missile, including short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.

India

India has a short-range surface-to-air missile system called Akash. It can also work automatically. It is capable of destroying a missile at a distance of 50 to 60 kilometers. Warplanes and cruise and ballistic missiles can destroy the sky.

India also has a Barak-6 air defense system. It is capable of withstanding 360 degree resistance of missiles coming from any direction. According to India’s Economic Times, India bought the S-400 air defense system from Russia last year.

Pakistan

According to Gulf News, Pakistan bought the HQ-9P missile defense system from China last year. The missile is said to have been purchased to counter India’s S-400. In addition, the country has short- and medium-range air defenses called HQ-6, Chinese-made LY60 and HQ-17.

Europe

European company Eurosam has developed a special air defense system called Aster 30 SAMP / T. France and Italy have the system. In Asia, Singapore has also bought this European air defense system. It is basically an easily removable anti-aircraft defense system. Germany and Italy also have defenses called MIDS.

China

The Hong Qi9 can be named as China’s air defense system. It is equivalent to the Russian S-300. This tool was first made in 1998. Apart from warplanes, helicopters, drones, it can intercept bombs and any short- to medium-range missile.

Iran

Many are interested in Iran’s air defenses. Iran is also proud of its strong air defenses. Iran has a US-built MIM-23 missile system. After that, Iran bought S-300 PMU-2 defense missile from Russia. They can reach great heights and destroy enemy missiles.

Iran has also developed its own air defense system. This includes the third Khordad. It is equipped with a locally made Tier 2-B missile, which can target enemy missiles up to 25 miles away. During tensions with the United States in June 2019, Khordad shot down a drone named RQ-4 Global Hawk of Northwest Grumman in the United States off the coast of Persia.

Then, in response to Russia’s S-300 and US Patriot missiles, Iran built a defense system called Bavar-363 in 2019. Tehran claims that the system can detect up to 300 targets simultaneously from 180 miles away. It could also hit six 120-mile range targets using the Sayad-4 missile.

Arab world

If you look at the United Arab Emirates, you can see that there is a strong air defense system between medium range and high altitude missiles. Abu Dhabi uses US-made long-range MIM-104 Patriot PSC-3 missile defense and Thad. The country also has a S1S defense system for Russian-made pants. Several neighboring countries have air defense agreements with the UAE.

The question may be, does Saudi Arabia have an air defense system? Saudi Arabia uses strong US-made air defenses. Riyadh is already facing drone and missile attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Saudis are considering strengthening their defenses.

The Gulf states, however, are quite weak in air defense. Iraq has only a handful of dozens of Russian-made Pantsir-S1 missiles. The country bought the air defenses under President Saddam Hussein; Which is worth mentioning.

Syria’s civil defense is on the verge of collapse due to the country’s civil war. Israel has used missiles against Iranian troops in Syria. Russia provided S300 defense to Syria in 2016. However, only Russian officials can launch it. Syrian forces are not allowed to launch it. In addition to the S-300, Syria has Buck-M2 and Pantsir-S1. Jordan has very little air defense. The situation is similar in Lebanon.

Turkey is moving fast on the issue of air defense. The country has an old MIM-23 and a British-made rapper. Ankara is now building short and long-range missiles for the Hisar family instead of the old system. Russia announced last year that it was buying Russian S-400 missiles amid tensions with Greece over oil and gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. With this, the relations between Turkey and the United States regarding the manufacture of F-35 warplanes came to a standstill. At the time, the United States threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey over the S-400.

All in all, the Middle East has some advanced air defenses; This could pose a significant challenge to even the most modern and powerful air force in the world.

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