During the tests carried out on the territory of the Utah test site for the first time, the Patriot PAC-3 anti-aircraft missile system with the help of the JLENS airship successfully intercepted a cruise missile, reports Cnews.ru.
Thus, with the help of the advanced JLENS low-flying, stealthy target detection system, one of the components of the United States' missile defense has new capabilities.
Back in 2004, the PAS-3 anti-aircraft missile system demonstrated the ability to shoot down cruise missiles. Then one PAC-3 missile was able to successfully intercept the low-flying target MQM-107D. However, in order to successfully intercept cruise missiles, it is necessary to detect them in a timely manner. This is a rather difficult task due to the small effective scattering area of missiles and their flight at low altitude. For this reason, in real combat conditions, intercepting a cruise missile with the help of the PAC-3 air defense system will rather be a success.
Thanks to the JLENS airship, the situation could change dramatically. The JLENS system, which was developed by Raytheon, is a bundle of two 74 meters long balloons. With the help of the first balloon, the surveillance radar is raised to an altitude of 3000 meters, due to which a 360-degree view is provided at a distance of hundreds of kilometers above the sea and land. With the help of another airship, equipped with a fire control radar, it is possible to target various anti-aircraft weapons: ground-based air defense systems, fighters, ships. At the same time, other communication and sensor systems can be installed on each airship.
In February of this year, the JLENS system successfully completed the first demo test. This once again proves the effectiveness and correctness of the chosen concept. Airships are capable of providing long-term observation and reliable target detection in hard-to-reach places, including mountains. In addition, the JLENS system has the ability to issue target designations, as well as identify targets, determining their belonging to us / foes.
