尖端科技軍事雜誌社

雷神飛彈防禦公司的NASAMS系統用於支援關鍵性的防空以保護美國本土

使用永遠保持警覺的NASAMS系統保護本土

艾麗卡海蘭茲喬（Erica Hellandsjo）在第一次參與國家先進地對空飛彈系統任務（National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System，NASAMS）工作時，她就確切認定了自己退伍之後要做什麼。現在，她在NASAMS的民事方面工作，支援以防空能力覆蓋美國首都區域（National Capital Region，NCR）。NASAMS專案自從2005年以來就在對NCR提供全年全天24小時的防空，而且其關鍵任務已經獲得新一輪延長4年。

「在我第一趟任務之後，我就知道我想要全職做和NASAMS有關的事情，」海蘭茲喬說道。「我夢想的崗位就是在雷神技術公司工作，於是我把吸收關於NASAMS的一切事情當做我的任務。我所擁有的從操作員視角看關於任務與系統的知識真的有助於我把每一件事情聯繫起來。」

海蘭茲喬是積極支援雷神技術公司防空任務的七位現場服務代表之一。

NASAMS專案的資深現場工程師海蘭茲喬說：「身為操作員，你執行任務而且按按鈕，但是永遠不必瞭解系統的具體細節；然而身為承包商，我現在必須裝載飛彈、實施測試、修理和改進裝備，還要訓練士兵」。現場服務代表們和美國陸軍以及美國空軍的聯合防空作戰中心（Joint Air Defense Operation Center，JADOC）一同合作。NASAMS是一種按需配置的最先進技術防空系統。它能夠辨認敵方飛行器和巡弋飛彈之類的威脅而且與之交戰。雷神飛彈防禦公司，雷神技術公司的四個部門之一，近來贏得美國陸軍授予新一輪4年期的美國首都區防空專案合同。

美國國民兵（National Guard）官兵們監督這個永遠保持警覺的系統。

 

施展魔法的地方

海蘭茲喬也是南卡羅來納州（South Carolina，簡稱南卡州）陸軍國民兵的作戰助理士官。她在防空司令部擔任早期預警系統資深操作員。

她說：「基本上，哨兵雷達和指揮管制是我的專長，」海蘭茲喬曾經兩次在NCR動員支援高貴老鷹作戰（Operation Noble Eagle ，ONE），第一次是在6年前擔任NASAMS發射小組的成員。2017年，她在JADOC擔任NASAMS戰術管制助理。

「JADOC是施展魔法的地方，」NASAMS跨國專案的經理布萊恩希斯說。「它全年24小時保護的地區覆蓋了首都區之內的白宮周圍一個可觀的半徑。」

 

獻身於任務

透過強有力的企業協作，雷神飛彈防禦公司的團隊已幫助保護以往四任總統的就職典禮以及全部的國情諮文演說。JADOC在安娜科斯夏-波林聯合基地由空軍和陸軍國民兵人員24小時值班監看具有潛在危險性的飛行器。

海蘭茲喬說：「團隊裡每個人擁有的龐大知識和經驗是非常驚人的。」本公司已經訓練了數以百計的軍人操作NASAMS系統。本公司在首都區維持一組專任的現場服務代表，還在不同地點維持跨專長領域的工程師。

海蘭茲喬說：「他們的專長領域真的是非常廣闊而且深入，我們診斷故障、修理並更換部件、處理後勤事務、與顧客互相聯繫、移動巨大的飛彈、駕駛起重叉車、駕駛大卡車、操作起重機、處理電力事務、做所有關於飛彈的事。」

「他們在能夠全方位偵測的雷達覆蓋區之內審視冒出來的不同威脅，」雷神飛彈防禦公司中距離防空專案的主管詹姆斯諾明頓（James Normington）說道：「他們跟蹤飛機或者目標而且分辨敵友，如果有什麼東西出現，他們能夠在它前來的時候立即使用先進技術跟蹤它，以斷定它是不是威脅以及應該怎麼對付它。」

NASAMS以不同的構型在11個國家服役；除了美國之外，還有挪威、芬蘭、西班牙、荷蘭、阿曼、立陶宛、印尼、澳洲、卡達以及一個未透露的國家已經選擇依靠NASAMS防衛他們的本土和關鍵資產。NASAMS系統的構型可以包括雷神技術公司的先進中距離空對空飛彈、增程先進中距離空對空飛彈和AIM-9X響尾蛇飛彈，還有哨兵雷達，以及康斯堡防務與航太公司的火力分配中心、飛彈儲存/發射箱和高機動飛彈發射車。

 

A critical role in air defense

Protecting the homeland with NASAMS, a system that never sleeps

Raytheon Missiles & Defense's NASAMS is used in support of critical air defense to protect the homeland.

When Erica Hellandsjo first worked on the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System mission, known as NASAMS, she knew exactly what she wanted to do after the military.

Now she works with NASAMS on the civilian side, supporting air defense coverage of the United States National Capital Region, or NCR. The NASAMS program has been providing 24/7 air defense to the NCR since 2005, and its critical mission has been extended another four years.

“After my first rotation on mission, I knew I wanted to do something with NASAMS full-time,” Hellandsjo said. “It became my dream job to work with Raytheon (Technologies) and made it my mission to absorb all things NASAMS. My knowledge of the mission and the system from an operator’s perspective truly helps me tie everything together.”

Hellandsjo is one of the seven field service representatives who actively support the mission for Raytheon Technologies.

“As an operator, you carry out the mission and push the buttons, but never have to get into the nitty-gritty parts of the system; but as a contractor, I now get to load the missiles, conduct tests, fix and improve equipment and train soldiers,” said Hellandsjo, a senior field engineer for the NASAMS program.

The field service representatives work in cooperation with the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force’s Joint Air Defense Operation Center, called JADOC. NASAMS is a tailorable, state-of-the-art air defense system. It can identify and engage such threats as enemy aircraft and cruise missiles.

Raytheon Missiles & Defense, one of the four businesses that make up Raytheon Technologies, recently won a contract award for another four years for the NASAMS NCR program with the U.S. Army.

U.S. National Guard soldiers oversee this system that never sleeps.

 

Where the magic happens

Hellandsjo is also an assistant operations sergeant in the South Carolina Army National Guard. She serves as a senior Early Warning System operator in Air Defense Command.

“Basically, Sentinel radars and Command and Control are my thing,” she said. Hellandsjo twice mobilized in the NCR in support of Operation Noble Eagle; the first time was six years ago as a NASAMS launcher crew member. In 2017, she served as a NASAMS tactical control assistant in the JADOC.

“The JADOC is where the magic happens,” said Brian Heath, NASAMS multinational program manager. “The area it protects 24/7 covers a significant radius around the White House in the National Capital Region.”

 

Devoted to the mission

Through strong enterprise collaboration, the Raytheon Missiles & Defense team has helped to protect the past four presidential inaugurations and all annual State of the Union addresses. The JADOC is staffed around the clock at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling by Air Force and Army National Guard personnel, who watch for potentially dangerous aircraft.

“The vastness of the knowledge and experience possessed by everyone on this team is mind-blowing,” Hellandsjo said. The business has trained hundreds of soldiers on the NASAMS system. It maintains a team of dedicated field service representatives located at the NCR, along with multi-disciplined engineers in various locations.

“They are literally a mile wide and a mile deep,” Hellandsjo said. “We troubleshoot, repair and replace components, deal with logistics, interface with the customer, move big missiles, drive forklifts, drive big trucks, operate cranes, work with electricity, do all the ‘it’ things.”

“They're looking at different threats coming across the 360-degree-capable radar coverage area,” said James Normington, director of Medium Range Air Defense programs at Raytheon Missiles and Defense. “They track airplanes or objects and identify friend or foe, and if something shows up they can track it immediately with advanced technologies as it's coming in to determine if it is a threat and how to deal with it.”

NASAMS is fielded by eleven countries with various configurations. In addition to the U.S., Norway, Finland, Spain, The Netherlands, Oman, Lithuania, Indonesia, Australia, Qatar and one undisclosed country have chosen to depend on NASAMS for defense of their homelands and critical assets. The system configuration may include Raytheon Technologies’ AMRAAM, AMRAAM-ER and AIM-9X missiles and Sentinel™ radar, and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS’ Fire Distribution Center, canister launcher and high mobility launcher.

 

https://www.raytheonmissilesanddefense.com/news/feature/critical-role-air-defense