No military strategy would be complete without a solid air defense system that includes multiple layers of defensive mechanisms to protect your assets from attacking forces.
You can never tell where an enemy will be coming from so your system should be able to protect from all directions.
It can be particularly tricky to defend against stealthy air attacks that are deliberately and efficiently cloaked so that you don’t see them coming until it is too late. But there are now a lot of advanced air defense systems that can detect such silent attackers with high accuracy and enable you to take them out before they get within striking distance.
Different Types of Air Defense Systems
Just as there are multiple directions from which an enemy can attack, there are also different types of air defense systems that you can use for protection.
Long Range Air Defense (LRAD) Systems
These are highly effective for countering strategic missiles that have an extensive geographical range and travel at speeds of up to 15700 mph. The US Ground-based Midcourse Defense system is a great example of an LRAD system.
Medium Range Air Defense (MRAD) Systems
These systems are suitable for protecting against mid-range missiles and can travel for up to 6700 mph. Israel has the Arrow missile and the US has the THAAD for their medium range air defense systems.
Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) Systems
These missiles obviously have the shortest range and also travel at the slowest speeds of only 3400 mph. They are useful against tactical ballistic missiles. The US uses the MIM-104 Patriot system while Russia uses the S-300v system.
It is imperative for any armed forces to have a balanced combination of all these different types of air defense systems in order to provide total protection for their space.
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