Industry sources report that the Australian Defense Ministry has indicated a requirement for more advanced Short Range Air Defence (SHORAD) systems.
The intent is to issue a tender in 2017 for an, as yet, undefined number of systems with the goal of a contract award later in 2018. The Australian Ministry of Defence dubs this SHORAD replacement as Phase 7B of the Land 19 requirement which is performing an overall enhancement of the country’s Ground-Based Air Defence.
Although specifics have not been released the new SHORAD system will need to counter current and future threats and be mobile to support manoeuvring forces. Among the candidates is Saab’s RBS-70NG (Next Generation) surface-to-air missile. This weapon can be vehicle-mounted and uses laser beam-riding guidance.
