Kenya receives Israeli SPYDER air defense system in $26 million deal

Defence affairs - Jerusalem post

Kenya has received the SPYDER air defense system from Israel as part of a KSh 3.4 billion (approximately $26 million) deal to enhance the African country’s military capabilities.

It is part of the country’s major military modernization effort, financed through an Israeli government-backed loan, with the goal of strengthening its defenses against drones and other airborne threats. In May, Kenya’s President William Ruto’s administration announced that it had negotiated a $26m. loan with Israel.

The SPYDER system, developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, is a mobile, quick-reaction air-defense solution designed to protect against a wide spectrum of aerial threats.

It has the ability to intercept aircraft, drones, UAVs, helicopters, and precision-guided munitions, and counter-tactical ballistic missile capability.

The SPYDER Family of short- to long-range mobile, quick-reaction, combat-proven Air Defense Systems includes the SPYDER SR, SPYDER MR, SPYDER LR, SPYDER ER, and the SPYDER All-in-One. It is built around the Python-5 and the Derby missiles, which are adapted from air-to-air use for ground launch.

The system uses an electro-optical observation payload and wireless data link communication and can engage multiple threats simultaneously up to 160 km. away in all weather conditions. The EL/M 2106 radar is manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries-IAI subsidiary Elta, and can track up to 500 targets simultaneously in all weather conditions while on the move.

The deal reinforces the deepening of military and security ties between the two countries, including in intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism, and defense technology. Kenya is seen as a central player in regional counter-terrorism operations in the Horn of Africa, including against the Houthis in Yemen and Somalia’s al-Shabbab.

“As part of this expansion, ISIS and Al-Shabaab have been collaborating with the Houthis, gaining access to advanced weaponry and sophisticated training. The spillover effects are now being felt in Africa, making the continent an emerging epicenter of terrorism,” Noordin Haji, director-general of the National Intelligence Service, was quoted by the Nairobi Law Monthly news website as saying.