Sky Shield: Air defense for Europe

2023-09-30 09:58:43, Kosova & Bota CNA

Russia's attack on Ukraine has returned the war to Europe, and has shed light on the defense capabilities of NATO and Europe. Armaments are now being made, new defense strategies are being prepared. This includes protection against possible Russian missile attacks, if the war in Ukraine escalates and reaches a confrontation with Moscow.

19 European countries participating

But NATO's defense shield for Europe has cracks that are expected to be closed by the air defense system, European Sky Shield Initiative, ESSI, proposed by Germany in October 2022. 15 countries signed at that time a joint statement in the framework of the meeting of NATO in Brussels, to create a European defense from the air. Alongside Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Great Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, as well as Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary signed. Later, Denmark, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland joined the initiative.

German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) spoke of "security wins for all of Europe" and argued that European air defense is cheaper and more capable than each country building its own defense, which costs a lot and is complex. France, Italy and Poland do not participate in this initiative. Paris criticized saying that this is not a pure European project, because it is expected to buy technology from Israel and the US.

The aim of Sky Shield is to create the most coordinated, short, medium and long range defense systems to avoid any kind of danger that may come from the air. The German Ministry of Defense, on its website, defines as a short range a distance of 15 kilometers and a maximum height of 6 kilometers. The medium radius, according to her, is 15 to 50 kilometers away and up to 25 kilometers high; the large radius is more than 50 kilometers away and up to 35 kilometers high.

IRIS-T for defense against drone attacks

"In all three of these areas there are gaps, which are supposed to be closed by ESSI, namely the possibilities already exist, but they need to be strengthened or increased," writes the German Ministry of Defense.

For short to medium ranges existing defense systems should be replaced by modern IRIS-T systems. This system, manufactured in Germany, can provide protection from missiles, guided missiles, drones, aircraft and helicopters at a distance of up to 40 kilometers and an altitude of up to 20 kilometers.

In June 2023, the budget committee of the German Parliament, the Bundestag, gave the green light for the creation of six such units. So far IRIS-T has not been put into use by the German army. But the German Air Force is trained with this system, because they trained Ukrainian soldiers. Germany has so far given two such units to Ukraine.

For more extensive air defense, the German army, the Bundeswehr, has at its disposal the Patriot (Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target) weapons system, which is still effective but needs to be modernized. This US ground-based air defense system is used against aircraft, cruise missiles and medium-range missiles. After 1984, the Patriot was used by many armed forces, including the German Bundeswehr.

Improvements should be made especially in defense against guided missiles. Due to their low flight level and the delayed capture caused by the low flight level, defense against them can mainly be done with modern defense systems such as Patriot or IRIS-T. A comprehensive surface defense is, according to the Bundeswehr, "very expensive and possible only with the use of many systems and makes clear the necessity of international cooperation."

IRIS-T air defense system

Arrow 3 against missiles outside the Earth's atmosphere

Another loophole concerns protection against long-range missiles, which can shoot targets even outside the earth's atmosphere. "This loophole must be closed quickly, especially since Russia has such a weapon. Germany must be able to defend itself faster than until now against guided missiles with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers," writes the German Ministry of Defense. Protection.

This can be done by the US-Israeli missile defense system, Arrow 3, which will be put into use in Germany by the end of 2025. The Committee on Budget and Defense Expenditures in the German Parliament approved in June 2023 the purchase of his. According to Israeli data, it costs almost four billion euros. Arrow 3 can destroy attack missiles located at an altitude of up to 100 kilometers at the beginning of the stratosphere and has a range of up to 2,400 kilometers. Like the Patriot, the Arrow 3 operates linked to a mobile launcher, a mobile control station, a mobile radar station and guided missiles.

Germany buys the Arrow 3 system - German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Israeli Yoav Gallat

An invisible dome for as large a territory as possible

Countries participating in the European Sky Shield initiative want to create together the right defense systems, so that together they can cover as much territory as possible at the lowest possible cost. For this, care is taken to see what needs each country has. ESSI members have agreed to support each other with weapon systems and related ammunition. Through joint creation and operation, acquisition and maintenance costs should be reduced. In Germany, this wealth of hundreds of billions of euros, financed by debts, has created the possibility of investments for the Bundeswehr in the establishment of a modern air defense system.