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The need for advanced combat proven air defense systems has been intensified also in Africa.Kenya is set to acquire an advanced air missile defense system, the Spyder Air Defence System, from the Israeli state-owned company, Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd, using a Sh1 billion loan from Tel Aviv.
The procurement of the sophisticated Spyder missile defense system underscores the deepening relations between the two countries, even as Kenya grapples with growing security threats in the Gulf of Aden from Houthi rebels and Somalia’s Al-Shabaab.Kenya is in advanced negations about the purchase of the Israeli advanced air defense system.
According to the Treasury's budget documents tabled in Parliament on Tuesday evening, Kenya plans to acquire one (1) Reinforced Battery of Medium Range Surface to Air Missile System through the loan, for an undisclosed cost. The documents project fresh loans for the 2024/25 financial year starting July 1 this year.
The Spyder Air Defence System is a quick reaction, low-level surface-to-air missile system that is specifically designed to counter attacks by aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and precision-guided munitions at different ranges. The system provides protection against a variety of threats, including UAVs, aircraft, helicopters, and short-range ballistic missiles. The system intercepts threats by means of two families of missiles produced by Rafael: Python and Derby.
The system's open architecture allows external components to be easily integrated and flexibly combined, affording different configurations with various ranges and capabilities based on customer needs and priorities. Spyder's autonomous capabilities can detect threats while on the move, enabling a 360° launch within seconds of the target being declared hostile in all-weather, multi-launch, and net-centric capabilities. Furthermore, all the Spyder systems have multiple target engagement capabilities for handling saturation attacks.
It is worth noting that Kenya's acquisition of the Spyder missile defense system may not be unrelated to its neighbor Ethiopia's procurement of the same air defense system four years ago. In July 2019, two Israeli firms, Israeli Aerospace Industries and Rafael, had installed Spyder-MR defense systems near the GERD (Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam). The system is guided by an Elta radar, making it effective against aircraft flying at low and medium altitudes, UAVs, cruise missiles, and precision-guided munitions within the system's range.
Since then, Ethiopia has acquired several strategic and tactical combat systems, including rockets, MRLS, as well as combat aircraft from Russia, and long-range drones from Turkey. Ethiopia has also successfully inducted the Russian-made Pantsir S1 short-range surface-to-air missile defense system.
