American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943

Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging military aircraft in combat from the ground. Various guns and cannons have been used in this role since the first military aircraft were used in World War I, growing in power and accuracy over the years. Starting in the post-World War II era the guns were joined by the guided missile, specifically the "surface-to-air missile", and today both are used in combination in most roles. Download high resolution version (776x611, 80 KB) American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline, 1943. ... Download high resolution version (776x611, 80 KB) American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline, 1943. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Look up aircraft in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Cannon (disambiguation). ... This article is becoming very long. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... A guided missile is a military rocket that can be directed in flight to change its flight path. ... Akash Missile Firing French Air Force Crotale battery Bendix Rim-8 Talos surface to air missile of the US Navy A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ...

Adaptations of standard artillery systems were commonly used for most long-range anti-aircraft artillery, starting with standard pieces on new mountings, and evolving to custom guns with much higher performance prior to World War II. Their shells are usually fitted with different types of fuses (barometric, time-delay, or proximity) to send exploding metal fragments into the area of the target. The classic example of a large calibre, long-range anti-aircraft gun is the German 88 mm gun. Long-range weapons of this sort have for the most part been superseded by the effective anti-air missile systems that were introduced in the 1950s; however, because they are relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture compared to more modern systems, they are still employed in large numbers by many nations. Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... System (from Latin systēma, in turn from Greek sustēma) is a set of entities, real or abstract, comprising a whole where each component interacts with or is related to at least one other component. ... A shell is a projectile, which, as opposed to a bullet, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage includes large solid projectiles previously termed shot (AP, APCR, APCNR, APDS, APFSDS and Proof shot). ... In an explosive device, a fuse (or fuze) is the part of the device that causes it to function. ... Atmospheric pressure is the pressure caused by the weight of air above any area in the Earths atmosphere. ... A proximity fuze (also called a VT fuze, for variable time) is a fuze that is designed to detonate an explosive automatically when the distance to target becomes smaller than a predetermined value or when the target passes through a given plane. ... A sectioned Shrapnel shell displayed at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa For other uses, see Shrapnel (disambiguation). ... German 88 mm guns were used in anti-aircraft and anti-tank roles. ... Exocet missile in flight A missile (see also pronunciation differences) is a projectile propelled as a weapon at a target. ...

For shorter-range work, a lighter weapon with a higher rate of fire is required, to guarantee a hit on a quickly traversing target. Weapons of 20 mm, 37 mm, and 40 mm have been widely used in this role. Unlike the heavier guns, these smaller weapons are still in widespread use today for the same reasons as they were originally introduced: the ability to quickly follow the target. Modern systems often use weapons generally known as autocannon, that were originally intended for air-to-ground use. However, developments in the latest short-range missiles means that these appear to be able to replace guns even in this role. Rate of fire is the speed at which a specific firearm or artillery piece can ]] per minute (RPM or round/min), or rounds per second Note that heat and ammunition concerns mean that most automatic weapons are unlikely ever to sustain their cyclic rate of fire for a full minute... The 20mm caliber is a specific size of cannon or autocannon ammunition, commonly the smallest caliber which is unambiguously a cannon (or more commonly today, autocannon) and not a heavy machine gun. ... M242 Bushmaster autocannon on an M2 Bradley. ...

Nicknames for anti-aircraft guns include AAA or triple-A, an abbreviation for anti-aircraft artillery, ack-ack (from the World War I phonetic alphabet for AA), archie (a WWI British term believed to derive via the Royal Flying Corps from the music-hall comedian George Robey's line "Archibald, certainly not!"), and flak (from the German Flugabwehrkanone, aircraft defense cannon). An anti-aircraft missile is another name for a surface-to-air missile, abbreviated and pronounced SAM. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The RAF phonetic alphabet is not a phonetic alphabet in the sense in which that term is used in phonetics, i. ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... Music hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. ... George Edward Wade (20 September 1869 – 29 November 1954), better known by his stage name, George Robey, was a British music hall star. ... Look up Sam, SAM in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The United States Navy uses the term Anti-Air Warfare (AAW); most groups of ships have a designated AAW commander among them. The Soviet Anti-Air Defense was a separate armed service, but in Russia has been subordinated to the Air Force. The United States Army has generally been able to count on air superiority to reduce the threat from air attack on its ground units, and settles for a two-tier structure: the man-portable Stinger missile (fired by troops or from vehicles) and the anti-aircraft/anti-missile Patriot system. Countries less assured of air superiority have more tiers. Russia, for example, has a system consisting of battalion-level MANPADS, regimental SHORAD (typically autocannon and IR/SACLOS SAMs), divisional SHORAD (typically short-ranged radar guided SAMs), medium range Army level (SA-11) and long range Front level (SA-12) systems. The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... Commander is a military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. ... Voyska PVO (Russian: Войска ПВО, or PVO Strany until 1981) was the air defense branch of the Soviet military. ... The armed forces of a state are its government sponsored defense and fighting forces and organizations. ... The Russian Air Force (Russian: Военно-воздушные cилы России, transliteration: Voyenno-vozdushnye sily Rossii) is the air force of Russia. ... The United States Army is one of the armed forces of the United States and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Type MANPADS Nationality United States Era Cold War/modern Launch platform Man portable Target aircraft History Builder Raytheon Missile Systems Date of design 1967 Production period Service duration 1981-present Operators Britain, Germany, Israel, Iran, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Switzerland, United States Variants Number built Approx. ... Four Patriot missiles like the one shown here can be fired from this mobile launcher between loadings. ... An SA-7 in use Russian Manportable SAM System SA-18/GROUSE MANPADS (Human-Portable Air-Defence System) are shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Look up ir in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... SACLOS (short for Semi-Automatic Command to Line-Of-Sight) is a second-generation method of missile guidance. ... Look up Sam, SAM in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Look up Sam, SAM in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A 9K37M TEL The Novator 9K37 Buk (Russian 9К37 Бук - beech, NATO reporting name SA-11 Gadfly) is the successor to the well-regarded NIIP/Vympel 3M9 Kub (SA-6 Gainful) medium-altitude, medium-range surface-to-air missile system. ... A close-up of a 9M82 TEL with missiles stowed. ...

History

Earliest use

The earliest known use of weapons specifically made for the anti-aircraft role occurred during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. After the disaster at Sedan, Paris was besieged and French troops outside the city started an attempt at resupply via balloon. Krupp quickly modified a 1 pounder gun to be mounted on top of a horse-drawn carriage for the purpose of shooting down these balloons. Very little information on this weapon has been published. Combatants Second French Empire North German Confederation allied with south German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III Otto Von Bismarck Helmuth von Moltke the Elder Strength 400,000 at the beginning of the war 1,200,000 Casualties 150,000 dead or wounded 284,000 captured 350,000 civilian... Combatants Prussia Bavaria France Commanders Wilhelm I Helmuth von Moltke Napoleon III Patrice MacMahon Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot Strength 200,000 774 cannon 120,000 564 cannon Casualties 2,320 dead 5,980 wounded 700 missing (9,000 total) 3,000 dead 14,000 wounded 21,000 captured 82,000 surrendered... Combatants Prussia, Baden Bavaria, Württemberg (later German Empire) France Commanders Wilhelm I of Germany Helmuth von Moltke Louis Jules Trochu Joseph Vinoy Strength 240,000 regulars 200,000 regulars 200,000 militia and sailors Casualties 12,000 dead or wounded 24,000 dead or wounded 146,000 captured 47... A balloon is a type of aircraft that remains aloft due to its buoyancy. ... For the U.S. town, see Krupp, Washington. ...

World War I

1939 Dutch mobile anti-aircraft gun. This AA unit was actually a German AA truck which the Dutch bought from the Allies who captured it in late 1918 from the defeated German army.

Given this early history, it is perhaps not surprising that it was only in Germany that development of anti-aircraft guns continued. In 1909 a number of Krupp's designs were shown, including adaptations of their 65 mm 9-pounder, a 75 mm 12-pounder, and even a 105 mm gun. By the start of World War I the 75 mm had become the standard German weapon, and came mounted on a large traverse that could be easily picked up on a wagon for movement. Image File history File links BATTLENETHERLANDS2. ... Image File history File links BATTLENETHERLANDS2. ... Look up ally in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Other countries seem to have largely ignored the possibility of aircraft being an important part of hostilities, but this soon changed when German spotter aircraft started calling down increasingly accurate artillery fire. All armies soon deployed a number of guns based on their smaller field pieces, notably the French 75 mm and Russian 76.2 mm, typically simply propped up on some sort of embankment to get the muzzle pointed skyward. The British Army decided on an entirely new weapon, and deployed a 3 inch (76 mm) gun that was perhaps the best of the bunch. The German army also adapted a revolving-cannon solution that came to be known to Allied fliers as the "flaming onion." This gun had five barrels and could launch a 37mm artillery shell about five thousand feet up. Because most other rounds were fired slowly due to the nature of anti-aircraft artillery at the time, this gun's rapid rate of fire left many fliers thinking that the rounds were attached to a string and they feared being shredded by it. [1] Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

In general these ad-hoc solutions proved largely useless. With little experience in the role, and no ability to spot the "fall" of their rounds with any accuracy, gunners proved unable to get the altitude correct and most rounds fell well below their targets. The exception to this rule were the guns protecting spotting balloons, in which case the altitude could be accurately measured from the length of the cable holding the balloon. The Krupp 75 mm guns were later supplied with an optical sighting system that improved their capabilities, but these sorts of systems were not deployed by other forces.

As aircraft started to be used in tactical roles against ground targets, these larger weapons proved too ponderous to aim at the quickly traversing targets. Soon the forces were adding various machine gun based weapons mounted on poles. The British introduced a heavier weapon — their 1-pounder "pom-pom" (a 37 mm version of the Maxim Gun) on an elevated mounting. These short-range weapons proved more deadly, and the Red Baron arguably fell victim to an anti-aircraft Vickers machine gun. A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... An early Maxim gun in operation with the Royal Navy 1895 . ... “Red Baron” redirects here. ... The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ...

When the war ended it was clear that the increasing capabilities of aircraft would require a much more serious attempt at downing them. Nevertheless the pattern had been set: anti-aircraft weapons would be based around heavy weapons attacking high-altitude targets and lighter weapons for use when they came to lower altitudes.

World War II

World War I had proven that the aircraft was an important part of the battlefield. As the capabilities of aircraft improved, and more specificially their engines, it was clear that their role in future combat would be even more critical as their warload grew. Many felt that the higher speeds and altitudes would render anti-aircraft systems useless, so little effort was put into improving systems.

Once again, it was only Germany that seriously considered what to do about this. They developed a number of new anti-aircraft weapons in the late 1920s and early 1930s, often in collaboration with Swiss and Swedish companies, including a new rapid-fire 20 mm gun for low-altitude work, and a 37 mm gun for low and medium altitudes. By the mid-1930s the 20 mm was considered to be too low power against the increasingly fast planes, but instead of introducing a new gun, Krupp managed to squeeze four of the existing 20 mm guns onto a single carriage of about the same weight. This improved firepower enough to make a wholescale switch to a larger gun unattractive in comparison. By the end of the war Germany had essentially given up on the 20 mm as it lacked punch. It was never cleanly replaced however; the 37 mm was available in limited numbers, and a new dual-30 mm system based on the MK 108 aircraft gun was never put into widespread use. The FlaK 30 was a 20mm single-barrelled anti-aircraft cannon that was mounted on a platform with two wheels on the side. ... Germany produced a series of 37 mm guns prior to and during World War II as their primary medium-caliber anti-aircraft gun. ... The MK 108 (German: Maschinenkanone - Machine Cannon) was an autocannon (30mm calibre) manufactured in Germany during World War II by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use in aircraft. ...

Their high-altitude needs were originally going to be filled by a 75 mm gun from Krupp, designed in collaboration with their Swedish counterpart Bofors, but the specifications were later amended to require much higher performance. In response Krupp's engineers presented a new 88 mm design, the FLaK 88. The eighty-eight would go on to become one of the most famous artillery pieces in history. First used in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, the gun proved to be one of the best anti-aircraft guns in the world, as well as particularly deadly against tanks. It is in this later role that it became most widely known, the bane of Allied tank crews wherever it appeared. Bofors is an iron works, cannon maker, and defence industry located in Karlskoga, Sweden. ... German 88 mm guns were used in anti-aircraft and anti-tank roles. ... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... This article is about the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. ...

After the Dambusters raid in 1943 an entirely new system was developed that was required to knock down any low-flying aircraft with a single hit. The first attempt to produce such a system used a 50 mm gun, but this proved inaccurate and a new 55 mm gun replaced it. The system used a centralized control system including both search and targeting radar, which calculated the aim point for the guns after considering windage and ballistics, and then sent electrical commands to the guns which used hydraulics to point themselves at high speeds. Operators simply fed the guns and selected the targets. This system, modern even by today's standards, was in late development when the war ended. Operation Chastise was the official name for the attacks on German dams on May 17, 1943 in World War II using a specially developed bouncing bomb. The attack was carried out by Royal Air Force No. ... This long range Radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine and map the location, direction, and/or speed... Hydraulics is a branch of science and engineering concerned with the use of liquids to perform mechanical tasks. ...

90 mm M1 at CFB Borden

In the late 1920s the Swedish Navy had ordered the development of a 40-mm naval anti-aircraft gun from the Bofors company. The new gun proved to be light, fast and reliable, and a mobile version on a four wheel carriage was soon developed. Known simply as the 40 mm, it was adopted by some 17 different nations just before WWII and is still in use today in some applications such as on coast guard frigates. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2542x1304, 1971 KB) American 90 mm M1 anti-aircraft gun, displayed on the grounds of CFB Borden (Base Borden Military Museum). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2542x1304, 1971 KB) American 90 mm M1 anti-aircraft gun, displayed on the grounds of CFB Borden (Base Borden Military Museum). ... The American 90 mm family of powerful guns served as primary heavy anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, playing a role similar to the renowned German 88 mm gun. ... Sherman tank displayed outside of Waterloo Officers Mess at CFB Borden Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden) is a Canadian Forces Base located in Borden, Ontario. ... The Swedish Naval Ensign Coat of arms of the Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy (Swedish: Marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. ... Bofors is an iron works, cannon maker, and defence industry located in Karlskoga, Sweden. ... Bofors 40mm/L60. ...

At the start of the war Britain had started a slow upgrade to their own systems, including a new QF 3.75 inch (94 mm) gun in addition to their existing WWI-era 3 inch guns. Both were delivered with optical sighting systems for ranging. At the small-end of the scale a number of 20-mm designs were used, but testing showed, as Germany had discovered, that these weapons were of little use against modern aircraft. QF 3. ...

They had already arranged license building of the 40 mm Bofors gun, and introduced these into service. These had the power to knock down aircraft of any size, yet were light enough to be mobile and easily swung. The gun became so important to the British war effort that they even produced a movie, The Gun, in order to make workers on the assembly line work harder. The Imperial measurement production drawings the British had developed were supplied to the Americans who produced their own (unlicensed) copy of the 40 mm at the start of the war—moving to licensed production in mid-1941.

B-24 hit by 2 cm FlaK 30, Oct 1943

Service trials demonstrated another problem however, that the problem of ranging and tracking the new high-speed targets was almost impossible—at shorter ranges the "lead" required (aiming in front of the target because it is moving) is so small that it can be done manually, and at very long ranges the apparent speed is so slow that simple mechanical slide rules could be used. For the ranges and speeds that the Bofors worked at, neither solution was good enough. Image File history File links B-24_hit_by_Flak. ... Image File history File links B-24_hit_by_Flak. ... Royal Canadian Air Force B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft, and was used by most of the Allied air forces in World War II. Designed as a heavy bomber, it served with distinction not only in that... The FlaK 30 was a 20mm single-barrelled anti-aircraft cannon that was mounted on a platform with two wheels on the side. ...

The solution was automation, in the form of a mechanical computer, the Kerrison Predictor. Operators kept it pointed at the target, and the Predictor then calculated the proper aim point automatically and displayed it as a pointer mounted on the gun. The gun operators simply followed the pointer and loaded the shells. The Kerrison was fairly simple, but it pointed the way to future generations which incorporated radar for ranging, and then tracking. Similar systems were introduced by Germany during the war, which also added radar ranging as the war progressed. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Kerrison Predictor was one of the first fully-automated anti-aircraft predictors, fire control systems which would attempt to predict the correct aim at a plane based on simple inputs like the observed speed and angle to the target. ...

Although they receive little attention, US Army anti-aircraft systems were actually quite competent. Their smaller tactical needs were filled with four M2 .50 caliber machine guns linked together (known as the “Quad Fifty”), which were often mounted on the back of a half-track to form the Half Track, M16 GMC, Anti-Aircraft. Although of even less power than Germany's 20 mm systems, they were at least widely available. Their larger 90 mm M3 gun would prove, as did the eighty-eight, to make an excellent anti-tank gun as well, and was widely used late in the war in this role. Finally just as the war was ending the new 120 mm M1 gun stratosphere gun with an impressive 60,000 ft altitude capability was introduced. The 90 mm and 120 mm guns would continue to be used into the 1950s. The United States Army is one of the armed forces of the United States and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... This article is about the . ... A . ... M3 Half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. ... A powerful American anti-tank and anti-aircraft gun similar to the renowned German 88. ... A 120 mm M1 anti-aircraft gun at Fort Meade in February 1953. ...

The US Navy had also put some thought into the problem, and came up with the 1.1"/75 (28mm) gun to replace the inadequate .50 caliber. This weapon had the teething troubles that most new weapons have, but the issues with the gun were never sorted out. It was replaced by the Bofors 40 mm wherever possible. The 5"/38 caliber gun turned out to be an excellent anti-aircraft weapon, once the Proximity fuze had been perfected. The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... The 1. ... A . ... Bofors 40mm/L60. ... 5/38 caliber open mount gun aboard the USS Shaw (DD-373) in 1942. ... A proximity fuze (also called a VT fuze, for variable time) is a fuze that is designed to detonate an explosive automatically when the distance to target becomes smaller than a predetermined value or when the target passes through a given plane. ...

One of six Flak towers built during World War II in Vienna

The Germans developed massive reinforced concrete blockhouses, some more than six stories high, which were known as Hochbunker "High Bunkers" or "Flakturm" Flak Towers, on which they placed anti-aircraft artillery. Those which were in cities attacked by the Allied land forces became fortresses. Several in Berlin were some of the last buildings to fall to the Soviets during the Battle of Berlin in 1945. The British built structures in the Thames Estuary and other tidal areas on which they based guns. After the war most were left to rot. Some were outside territorial waters, and had a second life in the 1960s as platforms for pirate radio stations. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1944x2592, 2010 KB) The north in Augarten, Vienna, Austria Copyright © 2005 David Monniaux File links The following pages link to this file: Flak Tower ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1944x2592, 2010 KB) The north in Augarten, Vienna, Austria Copyright © 2005 David Monniaux File links The following pages link to this file: Flak Tower ... One of six Flak towers built during World War II in Vienna. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... A 19th-century-era block house in Fort York, Toronto In military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. ... Air raid shelters are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air. ... One of six Flak towers built during World War II in Vienna. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Combatants Soviet Union Poland Germany Commanders Georgiy Zhukov Ivan Konev Konstantin Rokossovskiy Vasiliy Chuykov Adolf Hitler â€  Gotthard Heinrici Helmuth Reymann Ernst Kaether (one day) Helmuth Weidling # Karl Dönitz # Wilhelm Mohnke # Strength 2,500,000 soldiers, 6,250 tanks, 7,500 aircraft, 41,600 artillery pieces [1] 1,000,000... The Thames Estuary is a large estuary where the River Thames flows into the North Sea. ... An introduction to the subject of pirate radio can be found under that heading. ...

During the war the first ventures into the use of rocket-powered missiles for shooting down aircraft began. The British started with unguided missiles, the 2 inch RP, fired in large numbers from Z batteries. The firing of one of these devices during an air raid is suspected to have caused the Bethnal Green Disaster in 1943. By the end of the war the British had developed a surface-to-air missile, Stooge, which would have been launched from Royal Navy ships against the Japanese Kamikaze attacks. The Germans invested heavily in various anti-aircraft missile projects as well, but none of these was ready for service before the war ended. In particular, the Wasserfall missile, based on a scaled-down V-2, was particularly powerful and would have been a deadly weapon had the electronics ever matured. Bethnal Green tube station is a station on the Central Line of the London Underground in Bethnal Green, east London. ... Akash Missile Firing French Air Force Crotale battery Bendix Rim-8 Talos surface to air missile of the US Navy A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... It has been suggested that Personnel involved in the development of World War II suicide attacks be merged into this article or section. ... Hermes-A1 (American Copy of the Wasserfall-missile) Wasserfall (German for waterfall) was a German surface-to-air missile developed during World War II. It never reached operational status although it was well developed and likely ready for operation, and the project was cancelled in February 1945. ... The Vergeltungswaffe 2 (V-2) (Reprisal weapon 2 Propaganda name given by Joseph Goebbels) , also known, in the Development Process as the A4 (Aggregat 1-4), was the first ballistic missile. ...

One aspect of anti-aircraft defence was the use of barrage balloons to act as physical obstacle initially to bomber aircraft over cities and later for ground attack aircraft over the Normandy invasion fleets. The balloon, a simple blimp tethered to the ground, worked in two ways. Firstly it and the steel cable were a danger to any aircraft that tried to fly among them. Secondly, in avoiding the balloons, the bombers were forced up to a higher level which was more favourable for the guns. The barrage balloon was limited in application and direct success at bringing down aircraft—being largely immobile and passive weapons. US Marine Corps barrage balloon, Parris Island, May 1942 A barrage balloon is a large balloon used as a defense against aircraft. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Poland Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (US 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe B...

Post-war

A modern BUK M1 (NATO: SA-11 Gadfly) anti-aircraft missile system

Post-war analysis demonstrated that even with newer anti-aircraft systems employed by both sides, the vast majority of bombers reached their targets successfully, on the order of 90%. This was bad enough during the war, but the introduction of the nuclear bomb upset things considerably. Now even a single bomber reaching the target would be unacceptable. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A 9K37M TEL. Photo by Field Artillery Magazine. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 lifted nuclear fallout some 18 km (60,000 feet) above the epicenter. ...

The developments during WWII continued for a short time into the post-war period as well. In particular the US Army set up a huge air defense network around its larger cities based on radar-guided 90 mm and 120 mm guns. But given the general lack of success of guns against even propeller bombers, it was clear that any defense was going to have to rely almost entirely on interceptor aircraft. Despite this US efforts continued into the 1950s with the 75 mm Skysweeper system, an almost fully-automated system including the radar, computers, power, and auto-loading gun on a single powered platform. The Skysweeper replaced all smaller guns then in use in the Army, notably the 40 mm Bofors. The MiG-25 is a Russian interceptor that was the mainstay of the Soviet air defence. ... Skysweeper anti-aircraft gun in firing position Skysweeper, technically Gun, M51, Antiaircraft, was an American 75 mm anti-aircraft gun deployed in the early 1950s. ...

Things changed with the introduction of the guided missile. Although Germany had been desperate to introduce them during the war, none were ready for service, and British countermeasures were likely to defeat them even if they were. With a few years of development however, these systems started to mature into practical weapons. The US started an upgrade of their defenses using the Nike Ajax missile (based on the German Wasserfall), and soon the larger anti-aircraft guns disappeared. The same thing occurred in the USSR after the introduction of their SA-2 Guideline systems. Launch of a Nike Zeus missile Project Nike was a US Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Labs, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. ... An S-75 missile on camoflaged launcher An S-75 missile in elevated position An North Vietnamese S-75 site An S-75 missile in transit A Fan Song radar (left) and what looks like a Low Blow to the right The SA-2 Guideline is the NATO reporting name...

As this process continued, the missile found itself being used for more and more of the roles formerly filled by guns. First to go were the large weapons, replaced by equally large missile systems of much higher performance. Smaller missiles soon followed, eventually becoming small enough to be mounted on armored cars and tank chassis. These started replacing, or at least supplanting, similar gun-based SPAAG systems in the 1960s, and by the 1990s had replaced almost all such systems in modern armies. Even at the smallest scale, man-portable missiles, MANPADs as they are known today, were introduced in the 1960s. SPAAG stands for Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun. ... MANPADS stands for Human-Portable Air-Defence System and typically refers to shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles such as the FIM-92 Stinger, 9K32M Strela-2 (SA-7), RBS-70, 9K36 Strela-3 (SA-14), 9K38 Igla (SA-18) and 9K310 Igla-M (SA-16). ...

Future developments

If current trends continue, missiles will replace gun systems completely in "first line" service. Guns are being increasingly pushed into specialist roles, such as the Dutch Goalkeeper CIWS which uses the GAU-8/A Avenger 30 mm seven-barrel Gatling gun, or the US Phalanx CIWS which uses a 20 mm M61 Vulcan gun firing at over 4,500 rounds per minute for last ditch anti-missile and anti-aircraft fighting. Even this formerly first-rate weapon is currently being replaced by a new missile system, the Rolling Airframe Missile, which is smaller, faster, and allows for mid-flight course correction (guidance) to ensure a hit. Goalkeeper CIWS on a British Invincible-class Goalkeeper is a Dutch close-in weapon system, which defends ships against incoming missiles and ballistic shells. ... The GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30 mm, seven-barrel Gatling gun that is mounted on the United States Air Forces A-10 Thunderbolt II. It is the largest (it is the size and weight of a family saloon car (sedan)), heaviest and most powerful aircraft gun in... Block 1 CIWS The Phalanx CIWS (Close-in weapon system, pronounced see-wiz) is an anti-missile system that was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division. ... Unmounted M61 Vulcan The 20 mm M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically or pneumatically driven, six-barreled, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling-style gun with an extremely high rate of fire. ... RIM-116 test firing The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile is a small, lightweight, infrared homing surface-to-air missile in use by the United States and German Navy. ...

Upsetting this development to all-missile systems is the current move to stealth aircraft. Long range missiles depend on long-range detection in order to provide significant lead. Stealth designs cut detection ranges so much that the aircraft is often never even seen, and when it is, often too late for an intercept. Systems for detection and tracking of stealthy aircraft are a major problem for anti-aircraft development. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Another potential weapon system for anti-aircraft use is the laser. Although originally intended to be used in this role since the late 1960s, the most modern laser systems are currently reaching what could be considered "experimental usefulness". In particular the Tactical High Energy Laser can be used in the anti-aircraft and anti-missile role. If current developments continue, it is reasonable to suggest that lasers will play a major role in air defense starting in the next ten years. For other uses, see Laser (disambiguation). ... This article is not very factual. ...

Force structures

Most western militaries integrate air defence purely with the traditional arms of the military (i.e. army, navy and air force). This is in contrast to some (largely communist or ex-communist) countries where not only are there provisions for air defence in the army, navy and air force but there are specific branches which deal only with the air defence of territory, for example, the Soviet PVO Strany. The USSR also had a separate strategic rocket force in charge of nuclear ICBMs. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The multinational Combined Task Force One Five Zero (CTF-150) The British Grand Fleet, the supreme naval force of World War I A rare occurrence of a 5-country multinational fleet, during Operation Enduring Freedom in the Oman Sea. ... An Air force is a military or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare. ... Voyska PVO (Russian: Войска ПВО, or PVO Strany until 1981) was the air defense branch of the Soviet military. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... A Minuteman III missile soars after a test launch. ...

Navy

HMCS Algonquin, a Canadian Iroquois-class air-defence destroyer

Virtually all modern vessels contain anti-aircraft weapon systems. Smaller boats and ships typically have machine-guns or fast cannons, which can often be deadly to low-flying aircraft if linked to a radar-directed fire-control system. Larger vessels (patrol boats, frigates, destroyers and on up) are typically equipped with surface-to-air missile systems, with increased range and deadliness as the vessel size increases, although virtually all also carry radar-controlled cannon for point defence. Some vessels like Aegis cruisers are as much a threat to aircraft as any surface-based air defence system. In general, naval vessels should be treated with respect by aircraft, however the reverse is equally true. Carrier battle groups are especially well defended, as not only do they typically consist of many vessels with heavy air defence armament but they are also able to launch fighter jets for combat air patrol overhead to intercept incoming airborne threats. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3000x1955, 1636 KB) HMCS Algonquin From the RIMPAC website: Source:http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3000x1955, 1636 KB) HMCS Algonquin From the RIMPAC website: Source:http://www. ... Iroquois-class destroyers are a class of three helicopter-carrying, guided missile destroyers of the Canadian Navy. ... This long range Radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine and map the location, direction, and/or speed... A fire-control system is a computer, often mechanical, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. ... Categories: Ship types ... For the bird, see Frigatebird. ... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft). ... Akash Missile Firing French Air Force Crotale battery Bendix Rim-8 Talos surface to air missile of the US Navy A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ... Phalanx CIWS A Close-in weapon system (CIWS) is a naval shipboard weapon system for detecting and destroying incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft at short range (the threat(s) having penetrated the ships available outer defences). ... USS Lake Champlain, a Ticonderoga-class Aegis guided missile cruiser, launched in 1987 The Aegis combat system is an integrated missile guidance system used by the United States Navy. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of defensive mission for fighter aircraft, in which they guard a designated site, either a fixed site on land, ships at sea, or less commonly support aircraft such as aerial tankers. ...

Some modern submarines are equipped with surface-to-air missile systems, since helicopters and anti-submarine warfare aircraft are significant threats. Anti-submarine warfare (ASW or in older forms A/S) is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft or other submarines to find, track and then damage or destroy enemy submarines. ...

Army

Armies typically have air defence in depth, from integral MANPADS like RBS 70,Stinger and Igla at smaller force levels up to army-level missile defence systems such as Angara and Patriot. Often, the high-altitude long-range missile systems force aircraft to fly at low level, where anti-aircraft guns can bring them down. As well as the small and large systems, for effective air defence there must be intermediate systems. These may be deployed at, say, regiment-level and consist of platoons of self-propelled anti-aircraft platforms, whether they are self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (SPAAGs), integrated air-defence systems like Tunguska or all-in-one surface-to-air missile platforms like Roland or SA-11 Gadfly. An SA-7 in use Russian Manportable SAM System SA-18/GROUSE MANPADS (Human-Portable Air-Defence System) are shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. ... RBS 70 is a Swedish MANPAD system designed for combat in all climate zones and with little to no support from other forces. ... Type MANPADS Nationality United States Era Cold War/modern Launch platform Man portable Target aircraft History Builder Raytheon Missile Systems Date of design 1967 Production period Service duration 1981-present Operators Britain, Germany, Israel, Iran, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Switzerland, United States Variants Number built Approx. ... The 9K38 Igla (Russian 9К38 Игла́ - needle) is a Russian/Soviet man-portable infra-red homing surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. ... A single S-300-PM missile TEL ready to fire. ... Four Patriot missiles like the one shown here can be fired from this mobile launcher between loadings. ... SPAAG stands for Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun. ... The Tunguska Integrated Air Defence System. ... The Roland is a Franco-German mobile short-range surface-to-air missile system. ... A 9K37M TEL. Photo by Field Artillery Magazine. ...

Air force

Air defence by air forces is typically taken care of by fighter jets carrying air-to-air missiles which is beyond the scope of this article, however most air forces choose to augment air base defence with surface-to-air missile systems as they are such valuable targets for enemy aircraft. In addition, countries without dedicated air defence forces often relegate these duties to the air force. For example, the United States' strategic air defence is the domain of the Air Force, even when it is performed by missiles launched from fixed installations. For example, see Project Nike. A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... A US Navy VF-103 Jolly Rogers F-14 Tomcat fighter launches an AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missile. ... Launch of a Nike Zeus missile Project Nike was a US Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Labs, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. ...

Tactics

Mobility

Most modern air defence systems are fairly mobile. Even the larger systems tend to be mounted on trailers and are designed to be fairly quickly broken down or set up. In the past, this was not always the case. Early missile systems were cumbersome and required much infrastructure—many could not be moved at all. With the diversification of air defence there has been much more emphasis on mobility. Most modern systems are usually either self-propelled (i.e. guns or missiles are mounted on a truck or tracked chassis) or easily towed. Even systems which consist of many components (transporter/erector/launchers, radars, command posts etc.) benefit from being mounted on a fleet of vehicles. In general, a fixed system can be identified, attacked and destroyed whereas a mobile system can show up in places where it is not expected. Soviet systems especially concentrate on mobility, after the lessons learnt in the Vietnam proxy war between the USA and USSR. For more information on this part of the conflict, see SA-2 Guideline. A Russian SA-4 TEL. Photo by GulfLINK. A Russian SA-8 TELAR. Photo by Naval Expeditionary Warfare Training. ... This long range Radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine and map the location, direction, and/or speed... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... An S-75 missile on camoflaged launcher An S-75 missile in elevated position An North Vietnamese S-75 site An S-75 missile in transit A Fan Song radar (left) and what looks like a Low Blow to the right The SA-2 Guideline is the NATO reporting name...

North Korea (officially the DPRK) has inherited a lot of older Soviet equipment. One major reason for the success of the U.N. forces during the Korean War (1950–1953) against the DPRK and PRC was the air superiority they were able to attain. As tensions still exist on the Korean peninsula and the DPRK is so heavily militarised, their air-defence network is amongst the strongest of a non-superpower. A large part of it consists of a number of older, fixed systems like SA-2, SA-3, SA-4 and SA-5. But the DPRK is also in possession of many mobile systems which have proven to be deadly in the past. The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Combatants United Nations:  Republic of Korea,  Australia,  Belgium,  Luxembourg,  Canada,  Colombia,  Ethiopia,  France,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  New Zealand,  Philippines,  South Africa,  Thailand,  Turkey,  United Kingdom,  United States Medical staff:  Denmark,  Australia,  Italy,  Norway,  Sweden Communist states:  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,  Peoples Republic of China,  Soviet Union Commanders... Anthem YìyÇ’ngjÅ«n JìnxíngqÇ”  (义勇军进行曲) March of the Volunteers Capital Beijing Largest city Shanghai Official languages Mandarin Chinese1 Government Socialist republic2  -  President Hu Jintao  -  Premier Wen Jiabao Establishment  -  Peoples Republic declared October 1, 1949  Area  -  Total 9,596,960 km² (3rd or 4th4) 3,704,4273... Two S-125 dual missile launcher trailers. ... A 2K11 TEL in transit. ... An S-200 missile on its launcher. ...

Air defence versus air defence suppression

The U.S. Air Force, in conjunction with the members of NATO, has developed significant tactics for air defence suppression. Dedicated weapons such as anti-radiation missiles and advanced electronics intelligence and electronic countermeasures platforms seek to suppress or negate the effectiveness of an opposing air-defence system. It is an arms race; as better jamming, countermeasures and anti-radiation weapons are developed, so are better SAM systems with ECCM capabilities and the ability to shoot down anti-radiation missiles and other munitions aimed at them or the targets they are defending. Now that Russia is beginning to offer top quality SAM systems for export, it is possible that the U.S. and NATO forces could face serious challenges in maintaining air superiority in future conflicts. This will mainly be determined by the effectiveness of these devices and tactics. NATO 2002 Summit in Prague. ... HARM on a US Navy F-18C Three ALARMs on an RAF Tornado GR4 An anti-radiation missile is a missile which is designed to detect and home in on the emissions of an enemy radar installation. ... ELINT stands for ELectronic INTelligence, and refers to intelligence-gathering by use of electronic sensors. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) describes a variety of practices which attempt to reduce or eliminate the effect of Electronic countermeasures ( ECM) on sensors aboard vehicles, ships and aircraft and especially seekers on weapons such as missiles. ...

See also

• List of antiaircraft weapons

List of antiaircraft weapons. ...

External links

• Archie to SAM: A Short Operational History of Ground-Based Air Defense by Kenneth P. Werrell (book available for download)
• Japanese Antiaircraft land/vessel doctrines in 1943-44