Grounded in Reality

Col Mandeep Singh (retd)

Integrated air defence systems are the answer to counter complex air threats

One of the most influential innovations used in warfare has been the employment of air. From a modest beginning in World War I to the high technological use of air in the recent India-Pakistan conflict and the recent Iran-Israel war, air has come a long way, and today, it holds the centre stage in l’affaire militaire. This journey over the last century or so has been one of remarkable transformation in which air is today talked about as the dominant arm of any nation that can be used decisively to even win wars.

Also, the traditional concept of air power and ability of an air force to assert even the air power on its own is being reviewed in light of the transformation taking place in aviation and the conduct of air warfare. The face of air power is gradually but surely changing from the ‘manned’ to the ‘unmanned’. From the days when the aircraft were the only means of power projection, air power is today represented not only by aircraft and helicopters but also by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), cruise and ballistic missiles and even the space vehicles.

Whilst the destructive power and capabilities of air have been amply demonstrated during recent conflicts, it is important to note that these threats cannot be neutralised or countered by aerial platforms alone and need ground-based air defence systems. It is interesting to know that the advent of air defence predates the invention of aircraft and traces its origin to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 when the Germans mounted a modified 1-pounder (37mm) gun–-theBallonabwehrkanone (Balloon defence cannon) or BaK—on top of a horse-drawn carriage for the purpose of shooting down French communication balloons during the siege of Sedan. No balloons were shot down, but the cannons served the purpose as they seriously restricted the use of balloons.

It took another four decades before the military aircraft made its debut when the US Army Signal Corps acquired a Wright Model A for communication purpose. On the other side of the Atlantic, the Italians pioneered the use of military aircraft as they employed them for reconnaissance, photoreconnaissance, and bombing. It was during one such mission that the Turks shot down an airplane by rifle fire. This was the first kill by a ground-based air defence weapon in history. But air defence is not defined by the kills, or number of aircraft shot down alone as it is meant to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action.

Air defence is specifically defined as the means, techniques, and organisations devoted to preventing or minimising the effects of attack by enemy air attack. It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (submarine-launched), and air-based weapon systems, in addition to associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements, and passive measures. Missile defence is an extension of air defence, to include initiatives adopted to the task of intercepting any projectile in flight.

As mentioned earlier, the air defence systems can be air borne or ground based. Of these, the term ground-based air defence (GBAD) refers to systems that are operated from the surface of the earth or from ships located in marine environments.

Types of GBAD

Modern GBAD technologiesinclude guns and missile systems aimed at targeting and destroying aircraft and other threats, as well as jammers that can be used to interfere with the instrumentation of attacking aircraft. Passive GBAD measures include the use of camouflage and concealment, use of dummies and decoys, while barrage balloons have traditionally been used to stop aircraft from approaching close to assets. The active systems, i.e. guns and missiles, could be static, mobile of even self-propelled, and have short range, medium range or long-range capabilities.

Advantages of GBAD

GBAD is often seen as more economical form of defence against air threats than maintaining fighter aircraft squadrons. GBAD can be deployed and left in place for extended periods, only becoming active when a threat approaches. The relative lower cost of GBAD systems means they can be widely deployed, with a combination of short-, medium- and long-range systems achieving extremely high levels of coverage.

While there are no universally accepted norms to define short/medium ranges, the generally accepted range for short range gun system may be a ‘few kilometers’ and up to eight kilometers for a short-range AD missile system. Medium range AD systems, almost always missile systems, may have effective range between 25 to 80 kilometres with a long range GBAD system capable of engaging targets up to 300-400 kilometres with present technological capabilities. The GBAD systems are optimised for short-, medium-, or long-range air defence, but some GBAD systems may incorporate multiple weapons to include both gun and missile systems to increase their efficacy. No single system has all the attributes needed to completely neutralise all aerial threats. It is only by use of a mix of different systems that a truly comprehensive air defence system can be created.

Thus a ‘Layered air defence’ is often adopted wherein a combined use of systems optimised for either short-, medium-, or long-range air defence is deployed so that an airborne threat must penetrate successive tiers of GABD weapons to reach its target. This ensures that the inherent limitations of each system are covered by the other systems.

Air Defence Guns

The innermost tier of the air defence system are the short and very short-range air defence systems. They include both guns and missiles. The air defence (AD) guns are majorly used for close defence and are deployed in close proximity of assets. They have traditionally ranged from 12.7mm to 90mm calibre though the present day guns tend to be from 23 to 40mm calibre. The AD guns can be towed, or self-propelled though the majority of guns are of the former type. Two of the better-known AD gun systems are the ZU-23-2B and 40mm L/70 AD gun system. While the former is manually operated twin barrel 23mm gun, the latter is a radar controlled 40mm AD gun. 

40mm L/70 Gun System

They can be single or multi-barrel with a range of a few kilometres only, of about five-eight km.  They are designed to counter threats like low-flying aircraft, helicopters, drones, and missiles at close distances. These systems often combine radar, fire control systems.

ZSU-23-4B Shilka Self-Propelled Gun System

The advantages offered by the guns are rapid response and quick reaction, high rate of fire, mobility, ability to engage suddenly appearing target at close range and versatility i.e. the ability to engage a range of threats. Also, they are economical as compared to missile systems and have almost no dead zone. However, the guns suffer from some limitations, the main being the limited range to which they can engage aerial targets and low kill probability, vulnerability to advanced threats besides they may struggl