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.

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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
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