Australia Declares NASAMS Air Defence Missile System Fully Operational for Army.

Australia has declared the Australian Army’s NASAMS air defense system fully operational, with the government confirming Final Operational Capability on 9 September 2026. The milestone gives the Australian Defense Force a combat-ready capability to defend deployed forces and key sites against cruise missiles, aircraft, helicopters and drones.

The Raytheon-Kongsberg system combines mobile launchers, sensors and networked command-and-control to engage multiple airborne threats. Its entry into full service strengthens Australia’s layered air defense and improves resilience against the growing use of drones and precision-guided weapons.

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Australian Chief of Army declared Final Operational Capability for the Short Range Ground Based Air Defence project in June 2026, marking the delivery of the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) to the Australian Army. (Picture source: Australia MoD)

The NASAMS is a networked ground-based air defense missile system jointly developed by Norway’s Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace and U.S. company Raytheon. It combines distributed radars, command-and-control equipment, and missile launchers to detect, track, and engage multiple aerial threats, allowing air defense units to protect military formations, airfields, logistics hubs, command centers, and other critical infrastructure.

The declaration follows live-fire activities and operational training conducted by 16 Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, including validation of the unit’s ability to deploy, operate and sustain the system under field conditions. Final Operational Capability moves NASAMS beyond testing and establishes it as an operational component of Australia’s integrated air and missile defence architecture.

Australia ordered NASAMS under the LAND 19 Phase 7B Short Range Ground Based Air Defense project in 2019. The Australian government approved the enhanced configuration on 25 March 2019 and signed the acquisition contract with Raytheon Australia on 20 June 2019, with the program then valued at about A$1.5 billion. Deliveries followed progressively as Australian and imported components were integrated, and by 2023 equipment had reached 16 Regiment, which conducted Australia’s first NASAMS live-fire engagement at Woomera in November 2023.

NASAMS replaces the Australian Army’s legacy RBS-70 capability as its principal ground-based air defense system. The Australian configuration combines Kongsberg Fire Distribution Centers, locally produced CEA Technologies active electronically scanned array radars, electro-optical and infrared sensors, and multiple launcher configurations, allowing sensors, command nodes and missile launchers to be dispersed rather than concentrated in one position. This distributed architecture improves survivability against reconnaissance and counter-strike threats while maintaining the ability to detect, classify and engage approaching aircraft, cruise missiles and drones.

Australia has also integrated High Mobility Launchers onto Hawkei protected mobility vehicles, giving Army air defense units a mobile firing element able to reposition quickly after an engagement. Australian NASAMS units can employ different missile types, including the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile family and Sidewinder variants, allowing operators to select interceptors by target type, engagement conditions, and ammunition availability. This flexibility is particularly relevant against mixed attacks involving conventional aircraft, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, where commanders need to preserve more capable interceptors for the most demanding threats.

Australia first demonstrated the complete NASAMS engagement chain during live firing at Woomera in November 2023, combining an Australian CEA radar, Kongsberg command-and-control equipment and an AIM-120 missile against airborne targets. In May 2025, Australian Army personnel also fired a Sidewinder missile from a Hawkei-based High Mobility Launcher during trials at Woomera, demonstrating the ability to use different launcher and missile combinations within the same air defense network. Operational testing continued through 2026, including Exercise Raptor’s Strike at Cultana Training Area, where 16 Regiment evaluated movement, deployment, operation, sustainment and relocation under field conditions.

These activities were essential to achieving Final Operational Capability because an air defense unit must do more than launch a missile successfully. It must maintain communications, reposition between firing sites, sustain ammunition, protect its sensors and command elements, and continue operating after enemy forces begin searching for it. The 9 September 2026 declaration therefore confirms that the Australian Army has validated the wider combat system and the unit procedures required for operational employment.

NASAMS will now provide an inner defensive layer within Australia’s broader integrated air and missile defense structure. Its role is to protect deployed forces, airfields, headquarters, logistics hubs and other critical assets from threats that penetrate or bypass longer-range defensive measures, reducing pressure on fighter aircraft, naval air defense systems and future longer-range land-based interceptors. This role is becoming increasingly important as Australia expands its long-range strike forces with systems such as HIMARS and the Precision Strike Missile, creating high-value launchers, command posts and support areas that require mobile air defense during high-intensity operations.

The Australian configuration also incorporates a substantial domestic industrial component. CEA Technologies supplies locally developed radar technology, while Raytheon Australia and Kongsberg Defense Australia handle integration, support, and sustainment. Maintaining this support capacity inside Australia has operational value because modern air defense depends on the continuous availability of radars, electronics, vehicles, communications equipment and missile launchers, and domestic sustainment can reduce dependence on overseas repair chains during prolonged operations.

NASAMS also strengthens interoperability with allied forces because it uses established U.S.-origin missiles and a command architecture already operated by several partner nations. This is particularly relevant in the Indo-Pacific, where Australian and allied forces could need to share sensor information and coordinate engagements across widely dispersed operating areas. Australia is also developing the Joint Air Battle Management System under AIR 6500 to connect fighter aircraft, warships, ground-based air defense units and future missile defense capabilities, increasing the value of NASAMS as part of a broader joint defensive network.

The system does not fully meet Australia’s missile defense requirements, particularly against higher-end ballistic and long-range missile threats, but it gives the Australian Army an immediately available capability against some of the most common threats facing modern forces. Cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles can threaten airbases, logistics sites and command centres even without enemy air superiority, making mobile short-range air defence critical to maintaining combat operations.

The transition from the 2019 acquisition decision through progressive deliveries, live-fire validation and operational training to Final Operational Capability on 9 September 2026 marks the completion of a seven-year modernization effort. With trained crews, validated procedures, mobile launchers, Australian AESA radars and multiple interceptor options, NASAMS now gives the ADF an operational inner air defense layer capable of protecting deployed forces and critical infrastructure during an Indo-Pacific contingency.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.