| KORAL | |
|---|---|
| Type | Electronic warfare system |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | Syrian civil war Libyan civil war 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict |
| Production history | |
| Designer | ASELSAN |
| Manufacturer | ASELSAN |
KORAL is a land-based transportable electronic warfare system developed to jam and deceive hostile radars [1] of enemy nations.
It is designed and manufactured by ASELSAN, a Turkish corporation that produces electronic systems for the Turkish Armed Forces. It was developed under the Land Based Stand-off Jammer System project which started in 2009. [2]
KORAL System supports the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) operations by building information dominance and providing fast response time in a challenging environment. KORAL is composed of an Electronic Support and an Electronic Attack System each mounted on an 8×8 tactical truck. The Operation Control Unit (OCU) is in compliance with NATO standards and also supports NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection. [3]
Professor Fahrettin Altun, the director of communications for the Turkish presidency, confirmed that the Aselsan Koral electronic warfare system played an important role in Operation Spring Shield in 2020. [5] [6]
On 4 July 2020, Libyan National Army affiliated fighter jets attacked Al-Watiya Air Base in western Libya. LNA forces airstrikes destroyed Government of National Accord (GNA) defenses including MIM-23 Hawk, [7] and claimed a KORAL Electronic Warfare System destroyed. [8] [9] stationed in the base. [10] [11] [12] Turkish officials stated that the attack could have been perpetrated by UAE Air Force Dassault Mirage aircraft. [13] Russian military sources added that the attack was carried out by Dassault Mirage 2000 aircraft. [14] [15]
Electromagnetic warfare or electronic warfare (EW) is warfare involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy operations. The purpose of electromagnetic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of—and ensure friendly unimpeded access to—the EM spectrum. Electromagnetic warfare can be applied from air, sea, land, or space by crewed and uncrewed systems, and can target communication, radar, or other military and civilian assets.
The Raytheon MIM-23 HAWK is an American medium-range surface-to-air missile. It was designed to be a much more mobile counterpart to the MIM-14 Nike Hercules, trading off range and altitude capability for a much smaller size and weight. Its low-level performance was greatly improved over Nike through the adoption of new radars and a continuous wave semi-active radar homing guidance system. It entered service with the US Army in 1959.
The Libyan Air Force is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the Libyan Civil War, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,000, with an inventory of 374 combat-capable aircraft operating from 13 military airbases in Libya. Since the 2011 civil war and the ongoing conflict, multiple factions fighting in Libya are in possession of military aircraft. As of 2019 the Libyan Air Force is nominally under the control of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli, though the rival Libyan National Army of Marshal Khalifa Haftar also has a significant air force. In 2021, the air force is under command of the new President of Libya, Mohamed al-Menfi that replaced Fayez al-Sarraj.
The Pantsir missile system is a family of self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery systems. Three types of vehicles make up one system: a missile launcher, a radar truck and a command post. Starting with the Pantsir-S1 as the first version, it is produced by KBP Instrument Design Bureau of Tula, Russia, and is the successor to the Tunguska M1.
The Chengdu GJ-1, also known as Wing Loong 1, is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group in the People's Republic of China. Intended for use as a surveillance and aerial reconnaissance platform, the Pterodactyl I is capable of being fitted with air-to-surface weapons for use in an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) role.
The Bayraktar UAV or Bayraktar UCAV is a family of unmanned aerial vehicles designed and manufactured by Turkish company Baykar. The UAVs were developed for the Turkish Armed Forces from 2004 until the present. Some models are designed for surveillance and reconnaissance only, others are capable of tactical ground-strike missions. Baykar is also developing drones to counter other aerial systems. The word bayraktar means flag-bearer in Turkish.
The Krasukha is a Russian mobile, ground-based, electronic warfare (EW) system. This system is produced by the KRET corporation on different wheeled platforms. The Krasukha's primary targets are airborne radio-electronics and airborne systems guided by radar. The Krasukha has multiple applications in the Russian Armed Forces.
al-Watiya Air Base also known as Okba Ibn Nafa Air Base is a military airport in the Nuqat al Khams district of western Libya. It was named after Uqba ibn Nafi, the Islamic general who conquered North Africa. It is 27 kilometres (17 mi) east of the Tunisian border and 125 kilometres (78 mi) from Tripoli.
This is a detailed timeline of the Libyan civil war (2014–2020) which lasted from 2014 to 2020.
The Western Libya campaign was a military campaign initiated on 4 April 2019 by the Operation Flood of Dignity of the Libyan National Army, which represents the Libyan House of Representatives, to capture the western region of Libya and eventually the capital Tripoli held by the United Nations Security Council-recognised Government of National Accord. The Government of National Accord regained control over all of Tripoli in June 2020 and the LNA forces withdrew from the capital, after fourteen months of fighting.
The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations. It is manufactured by the Turkish company Baykar Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., primarily for the Turkish Armed Forces. The aircraft are monitored and controlled by an aircrew in a ground control station, including weapons employment. The development of the UAV has been largely credited to Selçuk Bayraktar, a former MIT graduate student.
In 2020, Turkey militarily intervened in support of the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya in the 2014–2020 Libyan civil war. Military intervention was approved by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on 2 January 2020, which passed a one-year mandate to deploy troops to Libya. Turkish military deployments to Libya began on 5 January.
This is the order of battle for the Western Libya campaign, codenamed "Operation Flood of Dignity" by forces under Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. The forces supporting Haftar and the House of Representatives, mainly the Libyan National Army, are opposed by the armed forces of the forces loyal to the Government of National Accord, including the Libyan Army and the Tripoli Protection Force.
Events in Libya in 2020
The Central Libya offensive, officially known as Operation Paths to Victory, was a military offensive in Libya launched by the forces of the Government of National Accord, to take the city of Sirte and Al Jufra Airbase from the House of Representatives backed by the Libyan National Army. The city of Sirte is considered strategically important because of its close position to oil facilities, which give it control over Libya's oil and gas shipping ports. The Al Jufra Airbase is strategically important for the GNA, due to its central position to Fezzan and denying the Libyan National Army air superiority over Central Libya.
The Egyptian intervention in Libya has been substantial since the beginning of the civil war. The intervention started after ISIL released a video of the beheading of 21 Egyptians on 12 February 2015. In response, Egypt launched airstrikes on 16 February of the same year. After that incident, Egypt became increasingly involved with Libya's internal politics.
The Wagner Group, also known as PMC Wagner, a Russian paramilitary organization also described as a private military company (PMC), a network of mercenaries, and a de facto unit of the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) or Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, has conducted operations in Libya since late 2018.
On 4 July 2020, forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) launched airstrikes on Al-Watiya Air Base in the desert southwest of Tripoli, destroying Turkish military equipment, including anti-air defences, sent from Turkey to the Government of National Accord (GNA).
The Battle of al-Watiya Airbase (2019-2020) was a major battle of the Second Libyan Civil War that raged from April 2019 to May 2020, between the Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army, as the GNA sought to reclaim the airbase that the LNA had captured in April 2014. The battle unfolded against the backdrop of a complex and protracted conflict, with international actors influencing the dynamics of the region.
