j4age component required, but not installed SAMs - Air Dominance

Surface-to-Air Missiles

Raytheon FIM-92 Stinger

The Commando Air Artillery stationed at De Peel Air Base uses Stinger missile systems

Fennek Stinger Weapon Platform

Fennek Stinger Weapon Platform

Mercedes-Benz 290GD Stinger Weapon Platform

Man-Portable Air-Defense System

The Raytheon FIM-92 Stinger is a personal portable infra-red guided surface-to-air missile designed to take down low flying aircraft. The Stinger is fired from the shoulder with a launch tube and is therefore classified as a Man-Portable Air-Defence System (MANPADS). Distinctive features are its small size, low weight and easy operation. Once the missile is launched it's self guiding with a passive infra-red guidance system, meaning that it does not emit signals to detect a heat source. The missile has a range of approximately 6 km and can reach an altitude of approximately 3 km.

The Stinger was developed by General Dynamics from the FIM-43 Redeye II in the 1970s. It's now produced by Raytheon Missile Systems and, under license, by EADS in Germany and over 70.000 missiles have been produced.

The Stinger missile entered into service in the United States in 1981 and made its combat debut during the Falklands War in 1982. During this conflict an Argentine IA 58 Pucará ground attack aircraft and an SA 330 Puma helicopter were shot down with the Stinger by the British Special Air Service (SAS). From then on, it has been and still is been a very succesfull and versatile weapon system and has been or is operated by over 30 nations worldwide. Since 1982, the Stinger is being used by the Commando Air Artillery, a Royal Netherlands Army ground-to-air unit stationed at De Peel Air Base.

Fennek Stinger Weapon Platform

The Royal Netherlands Army uses 18 Stinger Launching Systems, developed by ASELSAN in Turkey, that are mounted on Fennek ground vehicles. The Fennek Stinger Weapon Platform has a fully integrated launch system with four Stinger missiles ready to fire from two launchers. The system is operated from inside the vehicle and two missiles can be activated at the same time and fired successively in a very short timespan. The weapon terminal shows target-information using data from external radar instalations.

Mercedes-Benz 290GD Stinger Weapon Platform

The Dual Mounted Stinger missile launch installation, designed and build by the Dutch Defense Materiel Organisation, is mounted on the Mercedes-Benz 290GD. The commander uses the weapon terminal that shows target-information from external radar sources to select a target. Then the operator manually turns the Dual Mounted Stinger in the right direction guided by LEDs on the Visual Cueing Device. Only one of the two stinger missiles can be activated at once. Since 2007, the Mercedes-Benz Stinger Weapon Platform is used by the Commando Air Artillery.

Raytheon MIM-104 Patriot

The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile developed by the U.S. Raytheon (SAM). Partiot stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept On Target. From 1984 the Patriot replaced the Nike Hercules and the MIM-23 Hawk. Patriot-systems were delivered to the U.S.A., the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Israel, Saudi-Arabia, Kuwait, Taiwan, Greece, Spain, South-Korea and the United Arab Emirates. By second hands sale the Patriots are also in use by Poland, Jordan and Egypt.

The Patriot is designed for air defence to an altitude of 20 kilometers and a range of 60 kilometers. The Patriot reaches a speed of mach 5. The Royal Netherlands Airforce has PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles (Patriot Advanced Capability).

PAC-2, developed by Raytheon, is effective against aircraft and is 5 meters in length with a diameter of 41 centimeter and a weight of 900 kilo. It has a warhead of 91 kilo and a detonator. It detonates near the target that is destroyed by a cloud of fragments.

PAC-3, developed by Lockheed Martin, is used against ballistic missiles and is 5 meters in lenght with a diameter of 25 centimeter and a weight of 312 kilo. It doesn't have a warhead but eliminates it's target by flying against it at high speed.

The Royal Netherlands Airforce has a squadron with three firing units. A firing unit consists of a radar, a firing command headquarters, two generators, six launch systems and a command post. Also it includes a couple of communication and maintainance personnel. A launcher can contain up to 4 PAC-2 or 16 PAC-3 rockets.

Dutch Patriots were deployed in Turkey and Israel during the gulfwar of 1991 and in Turkey during the gulfwar of 2003. In 2012 the Dutch Patriots protected the south Turkish town Adana against missile attacks from Syria for two years.

PAC-3 Patriot Launching Station

Patriot Radar