The Aegis Ashore complex in Poland comes on duty
Aegis Ashore in Poland at the final stage of construction
The United States is completing the deployment of its missile defense systems in Eastern Europe. A few years ago, the Aegis Ashore complex entered combat duty at the Romanian base of Deveselu, and in the coming days a similar facility will be put into service in a Polish village. Redzikovo. The construction of the complex in Poland at one time encountered serious problems, and its delivery was delayed by several years.
Protracted construction
The United States began preliminary negotiations with Poland on the deployment of missile defense systems on its territory back in 2002. At that time, they discussed the construction of a GMD complex similar to that deployed in Alaska. Over the next few years, the Polish leadership hesitated and even planned to survey the population. In turn, the Poles reacted to the American proposal without enthusiasm. In addition, Russia opposed such cooperation, because it was supposed to upset the balance of power in the region.
In 2008, the United States and Poland nevertheless reached a preliminary agreement on the construction of the GMD complex. However, the following year the American side curtailed this project. As it became known later, in favor of another program with similar goals. There was also a place for Poland in the new project.
In 2009-10 The United States and Romania signed agreements on the construction of an Aegis Ashore missile defense system at the Romanian Deveselu airfield. At the end of 2013, a ceremony to launch construction took place, and just two years later the facility opened. In May 2016, the missile defense system entered combat duty.
The main structure of the complex and its personnel
Also, at the beginning of the last decade, agreements appeared between Washington and Warsaw on the construction of a similar facility on Polish territory. Having studied the available possibilities, they decided to build it at the Redzikowo airfield in northern Poland. As in the case of the Deveselu base, new structures were going to be built directly on the airfield, as a result of which the airfield was supposed to lose its function.
Construction at the Redzikovo base began in the mid-2018s. According to plans at that time, all work was supposed to take several years. The facility was going to be put into operation in XNUMX. However, construction faced serious difficulties of various kinds, which is why the Pentagon had to revise its schedule several times.
Since 2018, the postponement of the facility’s delivery has been announced several times. For example, at the turn of the decade, 2022 was named as the deadline. However, already in August 2022, the start of operation was postponed to 2023, without specifying the date. However, construction and commissioning work moved forward successfully. In addition, regular crews were already working at the complex.
Exact dates
December 7 acting The director of the Missile Defense Agency, Rear Admiral Douglas Williams, presented a report to the House Armed Services Committee on his organization's current work, achievements and plans. The greatest interest in this document is information about the completion of construction and preparation of the new complex in Poland, as well as the exact dates for the start of its operation.
According to the report by D. Williams, Aegis Ashore in Redzikowo is already ready to begin operation. In September, the complex reached the “basic level of operational capabilities” and is capable of performing basic tasks. On October 1, it was officially handed over to the naval forces responsible for the operation of such facilities. There is only a small formality left - on December 15, the complex will officially be put into service.
"Aegis Ashore" in Romania
The first renovation of the complex is planned for May next year. Aegis Ashore will receive unspecified new capabilities that will enhance its performance and combat characteristics. After this, in June, the complex will come under the command of the relevant NATO structures in Europe and will ensure the security of the Alliance countries on the continent.
Thus, the Aegis Ashore complex in Poland has already begun operation and can carry out combat duty. At the same time, new events are expected in the foreseeable future that will increase its basic characteristics and capabilities. It is expected that the missile defense systems in Romania and Poland will provide reliable cover for NATO’s eastern flank and protect the organization’s members from a possible missile attack from “unreliable countries.”
Technical aspects
The Aegis Ashore missile defense system has a distinctive appearance and architecture that is believed to give it a number of important features and advantages. In essence, these are units and systems of the destroyer of the Arleigh Bukre project, transferred to ground structures of the required configuration. Thanks to this architecture, it became possible to use affordable components with high performance and eliminated the need to develop new complex systems.
The main component of the Aegis Ashore is the turret with the AN/SPY-1 radar station, borrowed from the ships. Two AFAR stations are placed on top of this structure, providing an overview of the sector in which missiles are expected to fly. Inside are electronics, power supply systems, etc.
Principles of transferring ship systems to land
Separate buildings house three Mk 41 vertical launchers with eight cells each. The total ammunition load of the facilities in Romania and Poland is 24 interceptor missiles each. A stock of anti-missile missiles and means for reloading launchers are also provided.
In its basic configuration, the Aegis Ashore complex uses SM-3 missiles of various modifications. The most common SM-3 Block IB products are capable of intercepting ballistic targets at ranges of up to 1200 km and altitudes of hundreds of kilometers, depending on their trajectory parameters. Work is underway to integrate new Block IIA missiles with a range of over 1200 km.
The Mk 41 launcher can normally use other ammunition. In particular, integration of SM-6 anti-missile missiles is possible. In addition, there are unfounded suspicions about the ability of Aegis Ashore to use Tonmahawk cruise missiles, due to which the complex has not only a defensive function. However, the Pentagon and other American structures stubbornly deny the existence of strike capabilities.
Strategic tool
According to the official version, American/Euro-Atlantic missile defense facilities in Eastern Europe are being built to protect European NATO members from the Iranian missile threat. However, it was immediately clear that such theses, at a minimum, did not fully reveal the plans of the Alliance.
At the time the construction of Aegis Ashore began in Romania, the Iranian army did not have weapons capable of threatening Europe. By now the situation has changed, and the previous concerns of the US and NATO now seem appropriate. In theory, the Deveselu missile defense facility could really protect Europe from an attack from the southeast.
SM-3 rocket
However, a similar complex in northern Poland does not meet such tasks. At the same time, its placement and known tactical and technical characteristics make it possible to understand the true goals of this construction. Apparently, Aegis Ashore in Redzikovo is considered as a means of control over the 27th Guards Missile Army of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces. Its formations and units are stationed in the western regions of the country, and it is their missiles that can be considered targets for SM-3.
The theoretical possibility of using Tomahawks should also be considered. When launched from Poland, a potential enemy could threaten facilities in large areas of the European part of Russia, including Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities, etc. However, the effectiveness of such launches remains in question due to our developed and effective air defense.
In addition, both the strike and defensive potential of the two Aegis Ashore complexes is seriously limited by the size of the ammunition load. Each of them has a total of 24 missiles ready for launch. Obvious questions arise about the possibility of organizing an effective strike while maintaining the required defensive characteristics.
Plans completed
Thus, the United States and Poland successfully completed construction that began about 10 years ago, and also fulfilled plans twenty years ago. The new missile defense system in Poland is ready for combat duty, and in the coming days it will officially be put into service. Thanks to this, the White House and the Pentagon will have another military-technical and military-political tool at their disposal to counter Russia in Eastern Europe.
In turn, Russia has long warned the United States and its allies about the inadmissibility of deploying missile defense in the region, and also warned about preparing a military-technical response. As such a response, various shock systems and complexes can be used. They were ready to solve combat missions and to confrontation long before the enemy appeared and took up combat duty in the form of Aegis Ashore.
Information