Austria only joined the European missile defense system on Friday – a weekend later, people are already thinking bigger. A “Krone” visit to the base room operations center in St. Johann im Pongau.
The air is not enough: just three days after Austria committed to the European missile defense system ESSI, the air force’s planners are going one step further. In the future you also want to look into space.
Whale debris detection radar
In the course of ESSI, the first unofficial requests come from Germany to set up special space radar systems for monitoring space objects on Austrian territory. This was confirmed by the Chief of the Air Force, Brigadier General Gerfried Promberger, in the “Krone” interview. Specifically, this concerns the civil GESTRA radar developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for the detection and tracking of space debris.
Detect and track ICBMs
GESTRA itself cannot detect ballistic missiles, as the “Krone” has learned from development circles in Germany. However, it is connected to the German Space Situational Awareness Center in Uedem, which is under the control of the German Air Force. Its tasks include the early detection of ballistic missiles and anti-satellite weapons. According to the calculation, Austria would provide the space for GESTRA and receive the sensitive early warning data from Germany in return.
The Austrian Air Force would not only have an excellent view of the air situation as before – the “Goldhaube” system can “see” approximately as far as Berlin, Sarajevo and Krakow. In addition, it would also be possible for the first time to generate a “space situation image”.
“EU countries work even closer together”
“The joint initiative will make Austria more defensive,” Chancellor Karl Nehammer said Monday on the sidelines of the Sky Shield meeting in St. Johann im Pongau. “It is also a turning point that we as EU states are working even more closely together to better and more efficiently protect the security of our countries and our people.”
“The world is different,” added Defense Secretary Klaudia Tanner. “We are well prepared for threats with passive radar data. Now we need to acquire the necessary weapons as part of Sky Shield to counter these threats as well.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
