Iraq inaugurates second Groundmaster air defence radar
Iraq has received another GM400 Groundmaster-series ground-based air defence radar from Thales, as shown in a video released by the Iraqi MoD on 26 September.
Iraqi defence minister Jumaa Enad Saadoun inaugurated the S-band GM403 radar in a ceremony at a military base in Al-Diwaniyah Governorate.
The GM403 is the second GM400-series system to arrive in Iraq, although the MoD did not disclose when the previous one was delivered.
‘This system is one of several systems that will be installed and operated in Iraq to complete the process of detection and early warning of [aircraft at] hostile high and medium altitudes, and it is the fruit of the cornerstone that was laid earlier for the new main operations centre of the Air Defense Command,’ Saadoun said.
The network-enabled, digital and full-Doppler GM403 radar uses digital beamforming, generating stacked beams for maximum time on target.
Additionally, the phased-array antenna rotates once every six seconds.
Data from Shephard Defence Insight shows that the GM403 features an instrumented range of 470km, a minimum project detection range of 5km, a 100,000ft ceiling and a detection range for combat aircraft of 390km.
More from Land Warfare
-
New Estonian night vision devices to help against “significantly” larger enemy
Argus is a family of Mil-Spec I2 multipurpose monocular systems that can be operated handheld or head-, helmet- or weapon-mounted.
-
Hero-120 loitering munitions to be made in US
Hero-120, a loitering munition system fitted with a 4.5kg warhead, has been designed to carry out strikes against mid-range targets. In June 2021, the US Marine Corps announced the Hero-120 had been selected for its Organic Precision Fire Mounted (OPF-M) programme.
-
Patria orders Kongsberg Protector’s for common APCs
Patria developed the Patria 6x6 APC, unveiled at the June 2018 Eurosatory exhibition, as a successor to the XA-series Pasi APC and was selected for the Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS) programme.
-
Rheinmetall receives EU funding to boost artillery production for Ukrainian war effort
Rheinmetall has contracts to produce hundreds-of-thousands of artillery shells for Ukraine and new funding from the EU will boost the company’s manufacturing capability.
-
General Dynamics to upgrade Ukraine-bound Spanish Leopards
The 120mm-armed Leopard 2 MBT was developed in the 1970s as a replacement for the German Army’s 105mm Leopard 1s. Spain's fleet of Leopard 2A4s were originally leased from Germany for five-years but eventually purchased in 2005.