The National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System – pictured above firing an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile at Woomera Test Range in South Australia in mid-November – provides air defence against a variety of aerial threats, including UAV, missile, helicopter, and aircraft attacks within 40–50 km. (Commonwealth of Australia)

The Australian Army has started inducting its new short-range ground-based air-defence capability known as the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), a spokesperson for the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) told Janes on 23 November.

“[The] army began receiving NASAMS this year,” the spokesperson said.

In mid-November the Australian Army conducted a live-fire exercise with the NASAMS at Woomera Test Range in South Australia.

In that exercise the service fired five AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) from the NASAMS to target unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying at an altitude of 5,000 ft, about 15 km away.

“The live-fire activity at Woomera was an important activity for the army during the introduction of [the NASAMS] into service phase,” the spokesperson added.