Page 12 - ADT JULY - AUGUST 2022 Online Magazine

The immediate impact of Russian aggression in Ukraine is the
added urgency to acquire air defence systems on the part of Nordic
countries that are wary of Moscow’s response to the rising influ-
ence of NATO in Europe. Another major focus area for players in the
market is the Asia Pacific, where growing Chinese military might and
geopolitical disputes have forced many countries, including India,
Taiwan, and Vietnam, to strengthen their air defence capabilities. [ AIR DEFENCE ]
The two regions are expected to be the major driving force behind
the growth of the global air defense system market from US$ 41
billion in 2021 to about US$ 60 billion by 2030.

Joining Hands
The opportunities that abound in the market are spawning part-
nerships. In March this year, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and
Lockheed Martin announced that they are partnering to promote
a new Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD) system, that combines
the best of the American company’s battlespace situational aware-
ness SkyKeeper system, which is in use in the United Kingdom
since 2014 and can be can be integrated with any type of effector,
kinetic or non-kinetic, and the Barak MX air defense system, which
comprises medium-, long- and extended-range interceptor versions
with effective ranges of 35km, 70km and 150km respectively. In
August 2020, Raytheon Technologies and Israel’s Rafael Advanced
Defense Systems formed a joint venture - Raytheon Rafael Area
Protection Systems - to build the Iron Dome missile defense system
in the U.S.

Investing Wisely
In High With the modern battlefield rapidly evolving and threats multiply-
ing, there is demand for such systems in every region. Canada,
which has been without an air defence system since 2012 after
budget cuts forced the army to retire the Oerlikon Air Defence
Anti-Tank System (ADATS) from service, is eyeing the acquisition
of a new ground-based air defence system. The new system, which
Demand
is expected to cost anywhere between US500 million to US$1 bil-
lion, will be capable of defending against remotely piloted aircraft
systems, rocket, artillery and mortar munitions, cruise missiles,
helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, as well as air to surface missiles
and bombs. According to reports, a contact is likely to be awarded

The Canadian Army’s Medium Range Radar (MRR), the ELM-2084
AS THREATS MULTIPLY IN A in 2026, with the first systems to be introduced in 2027.
Multi-Mission Radar (MMR) built by Israel Aerospace Industries
RAPIDLY EVOLVING MODERN (IAI) subsidiary ELTA Systems, is able to sense and find sources of
BATTLEFIELD, AIR DEFENCE indirect fire such as artillery, mortars, rockets, and other munitions
SYSTEMS BECOME INCREASINGLY and calculate their point of impact. Acquired in 2018, the three-di-
CRUCIAL TO MILITARY PLANS mensional, S-band radar equipped with a solid-state, electronically
steered active array system designed to simultaneously or sepa-
rately detect RAM at long ranges, also provides air surveillance of
Arun Sivasankaran hostile and friendly fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, cruise missiles
and anti-radar missiles. The military’s proposed GBAD will com-
Ukraine’s use of a variety of anti-aircraft mis- plement the MMR by providing offensive capabilities and engaging
siles and weapons to shoot down Russian targets identified by the radar. The radar is being delivered by
helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and armed Rheinmetall Canada, with the service already receiving the first
drones has once again underscored the value three of ten systems.
of air defence systems and will further drive the
growth of the global air defence system market. Russian action in Ukraine has prompted Germany as well to

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