EUROSATORY 2016 - All fired up, NAMFI op´s.

NAMFI is the only firing range in Europe with the ability to host ATBM firings.

By Wording OD.

The NATO Missile Firing Installation (NAMFI) (Hall 5, Stand HG470) is a multinational training installation on the island of Crete, which was established with the multilateral agreement signed on 11 June 1964, initially by eight countries. Today, three countries – Germany, Greece and the Netherlands – are still parties of the agreement and support and use NAMFI on permanent basis. NAMFI is administratively controlled by the Hellenic National Defence General Staff and manned by military and civilian personnel from the Hellenic Armed Forces. The firing range provides high-quality services for training, testing, experimentation and live firings for land, sea and air units, with year-round favourable weather conditions. 

A vast expanse of sea – 200km by 100km – and unlimited altitude airspace, provide the opportunity to test and fire modern long-range air defence and advanced tactical ballistic missile (ATBM) weapon systems under realistic scenarios, which include information/crisis handling, decision-making processes, site reconnaissance, deployment phase, live firing and redeployment phase. Firings are evaluated and graded under strict NATO criteria, enforced by NAMFI’s tactical firing evaluation section. Virtually all air, land and sea weapon systems have been tested at the facility.

NAMFI is the only firing range in Europe with the ability to host ATBM firings. These are usually conducted by the Patriot weapon against a missile drone representing the ballistic target. The ballistic missile is launched from an islet located 157km from NAMFI. The target follows a very high trajectory with high velocity and heads for NAMFI, where the unit under training/exercise will detect, engage and destroy it in the shortest time possible.

Source: Eurosatory 2016/Jane´s Defense.