The Sky Sabre air defense systems began to enter service with the 16th Regiment of the Royal Artillery. According to the British Ministry of Defense, Sky Sabre consists of an all-round radar, a data transmission system and anti-aircraft guided missiles.
The British Army has been armed with the Rapier air defense system since the seventies. It includes a launcher, an optical tracking device, an electric generator and up to six anti-aircraft missiles. The launcher, in turn, is equipped with a radar capable of detecting a target at a distance of more than 15 kilometers, and a radio command transmission station. Rapier rockets are 2.25 meters long and weigh 45 kilograms.
The British Ministry of Defense announced on December 6 that the 16th Regiment of the Royal Artillery began receiving Sky Sabre air defense systems — a replacement for Rapier. Sky Sabre can simultaneously track 24 targets and consists of three components: radar, data transmission system and anti-aircraft missiles.
The Giraffe all-round radar detects targets at a distance of 120 kilometers. The data transmission system links the radar and the missiles. It also includes the Link 16 tactical network, which allows the exchange of information with the Royal Navy, air forces and allies of Britain.
CAMM anti-aircraft missiles weigh 99 kilograms. They reach speeds of up to 3,700 kilometers per hour and are capable of hitting fighters, drones and bombs with a laser guidance system at a distance three times further than Rapier. There will be eight CAMMS in each launcher, and the rearmament will take half as long as compared to the Rapier.
The British military is interested not only in traditional air defense systems, but also in directed energy transfer weapons. This fall, the Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom signed three contracts for the development of laser and radio frequency weapons demonstrators: for tracking air, land and sea targets, as well as fighting drones.
Vasilisa Chernyavtseva
