Thread by @noclador

Chris posted a good thread about NASAMS, which the US might provide to Ukraine.
Check it out, then come back and I will add a bit more missile info if you like tech specs.

1/n

NASAMS comes in three versions numbered 1 to 3. As of 2022 only NASAMS 2 and NASAMS 3 are in service.

We do not know yet if they US bought used NASAMS 2 or brand new NASAMS 3 systems, which are currently being produced by Norway for Lithuania, Qatar, Hungary, and Australia.

2/n

NASAMS 2 & 3 use the AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radar, with a range of 120 km.
Ukraine already received four AN/MPQ-64A1 Sentinel to cue Stinger teams onto approaching russian planes & helicopters.

(The new GhostEye MR radar was unveiled last October and is not yet in production)
3/n

NASAMS 2 uses the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, which is the most produced Western air-to-air missile. Specifically the AIM-120B, AIM-120C-5, or AIM-120C-7/C-8 are used.
However when these air-to-air missiles are launched from the ground and not from fighters flying at supersonic
4/n

speed at altitude they lose much of their range.

I.e. the Spanish Army's NASAMS 2 uses AIM-120C-5 missiles. The range of a AIM-120C-5 launched at supersonic speed at 6,000m is 105+ km, while the range of a ground launched AIM-120C-5 is 25 km:

5/n

A ground launched AIM-120C-7 has a range of 30+ km. NASAMS 3 rectifies this by adding the new AMRAAM-ER missile.

AMRAAM-ER combines the AIM-120C-7's WDU-41/B warhead and active radar homing seeker with the motor of the US Navy's RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM).

6/n

The RIM-162 is a ground launched missile with a 3 inch wider diameter and more powerful rocket motor than the AIM-120. The RIM-162's rocket motor alone weighs 168 kg, while a complete AIM-120C-7 weighs 152 kg.

Additionally the RIM-162 has thrust vector control, which gives

7/n

it a better maneuverability than the AIM-120.

RIM-162 missiles have a 50+km range, while AMRAAM-ER's have a slightly greater range, as the AIM-120C-7's WDU-41/B warhead (18kg) and seeker weigh less than those of the RIM-162 (i.e. warhead 39 kg).

Photo: launch of a AMRAAM-ER
8/n

If you google AMRAAM-ER, most images you get are actually AIM-120 missiles.

So here is a photo to help distinguish the missiles NASAMS 3 can use - from left to right:

AIM-120C-7 (two sets of 4 canards)
AMRAAM-ER (1 set of 4 canards & thick motor section)
AIM-9X Block II

9/n

The AIM-9X Block II is variant of the Sidewinder missile meant to shoot down cruise missile and drones that come within 10 km of a NASAMS launcher. Unlike the active radar homing AIM-120 and the AMRAAM-ER the smaller AIM-9X uses a cheaper passive Infrared seeker (see photo).
10/n

As NASAMS 3 also includes a more powerful Fire Distribution Center (FDC) (see rendering) I hope the US bought that one.

One FDC can be connected with up to 8 radars and a dozen missile launchers... but 2-3 radars and 4-6 launchers will be more likely what Ukraine gets.

11/n

We don't know yet what system and how many of it the US bought. We also don't know what missiles will come with it; so we can't speculate now where Ukraine will deploy them: Kyiv or Donbas or Kherson?

But: here is a AMRAAM-ER launch. I hope we will see this in Donbas next.

12/.

To answer some questions:
• NATO members store 10,000+ AIM-120C
• yearly AIM-120D production capacity is 800+ missiles
• AMRAAM-ER missiles are in production, and as far as I know use the seeker and warheads of stored AIM-120C-7 and pair them with newly built RIM-162 engines