Roland: A Case for or Against NATO Standardization?
Abstract
The ROLAND air defense system was developed by the French/German consortium Euromissile and licensed for US production by co-licensees Hughes Aircraft Company and Boeing Aerospace. ROLAND today represents the most advanced existing concept in mobile, all-weather missile systems for defense against low-flying aircraft. ROLAND mounts an acquisition radar along with its unique optical and radar guidance systems together with all power supplies, two missiles and eight reloads, all on a single vehicle. Projected plans call for ROLAND to be fielded as a major contributor to NATO air defenses in the 1980's, capable of maneuvering with forward tactical forces and deployable in a density which could (idealized, of course) shoot down several thousand attacking aircraft in less than 5 minutes. The three nations involved with ROLAND, two fully participating NATO members and one partially participating member, as well as four corporations -- variously public, private, semiprivate, and government-controlled -- encompass an arena sufficiently large for the full scope of differing political, economic, and military objectives to have free play. Moreover, in response to a longstanding complaint by European NATO members demanding a true 'two-way street' in weapons procurement, ROLAND, as the Army's first major European-designed NATO weapon to be manufactured in the United States, paved a major segment of that contentious road. Because similar technology transfers from Europe to the United States can be expected to continue, much can be learned from following the course set by ROLAND.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA084881
Entities
People
- Daniel K. Malone
Organizations
- National Defense University