Expanding the role of GBAD

Saab’s Land Weapons Business Development Manager, Inger Lawes will address the upcoming Land Warfare Conference in Adelaide in October to discuss how ground based air defence (GBAD) can play a greater role in protecting Australia.

Mr Lawes believes that expanding the use of GBAD systems around Australia could significantly increase Australia's ability to defeat terrorist attacks.

According to Mr Lawes, GBAD is currently not considered as a means of addressing a terror threat. "Existing Australian GBAD lacks real time command and control to enable it to connect to the Australian Air Defence System," says Mr Lawes. "As such, the air defence commander is unable to control GBAD missile engagements in real time."

Real time control is essential in order to reduce the potential of friendly aircraft being inadvertently targeted.

"Introducing a real-time data link capability that would enable GBAD to communicate with the Australian air defence system is a worthwhile near term enhancement," says Mr Lawes.

"This relatively simple and low cost capability upgrade would optimize the existing capability enabling its use against terror threats."

GBAD could be used against a 9/11 type threat, i.e. hijacked aircraft, conventional cruise missiles and even improvised or low tech cruise missiles and UAVs. GBAD would be used as part of a layered and integrated approach to defeating the terror threat.

Inger Lawes will be delivering a paper on the system at the Land Warfare Conference on 25th October, 9.30 am.

Download a copy of the paper.

The Land Warfare Conference is hosted at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 22-26 October.

18 October 2007