AD-16 Adder
| AD-16 Adder | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | short-range surface-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | Arthurista |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2004-present |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Arthuristan Dynamics |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 270kg (baseline), 420kg (extended range) |
| Length | 4.2m (baseline), 7.2m (extended range) |
| Diameter | 251mm |
| Warhead | 10kg continuous rod HE |
| Engine | Solid rocket booster |
Operational range | 50km+ (baseline) |
| Speed | Mach 4+ |
Guidance system | Common: Datalink Block 1: semi-active radar |
The AD-16 Adder is the primary short-medium range air and missile defence weapon of the Arthuristan Commonwealth Defence Forces, typically quadpacked into its standard V90 Vertical Launch System in naval service. It complements the short-ranged RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile in the Commonwealth Navy, the Starstreak in the Commonwealth Army, as well as the AD-12 Area Defence Missile in both services, creating a three-layered air and missile defence package against any incoming threat.
Design
The AD-16 is based on a significantly enlarged airframe of the ACCM Taipan Mk 2 air to air missile. With a top speed of mach 4 and a thrust-vectoring nozzle, the AD-16 is capable of intercepting a wide variety of air threats, including aircraft and missiles.
The original Block 1 missile relies on semi-active radar guidance, i.e. it requires a fire control radar to illuminate its target during terminal flight.
The recently released Block 2 features two variants, which do not require intervention from the launch platform's fire control system and can track and engage targets autonomously:
- The AD-16 IR features an imaging infra-red seeker, it can spot the difference in temperature between the skin of an aircraft or attacking missile and the surrounding air, which renders it virtually immune from conventional infra-red countermeasures. It is equipped with a thurst-vectoring nozzle to attack highly maneouverable targets performing evasive maneouvres, such as supersonic anti-ship missiles.
- The AD-16 AR features an active radar guidance package, with an on-board radar receiver which allows it to track and engage targets autonomously.
Both varieties include a datalink system, allowing fire control personnel to perform mid-course corrections. As a networked weapon, they also allow for 'over-the-horizon' engagements, for example firing at a low-altitude target behind an obstacle, as long as an friendly surveillance asset is in position to provide targeting information through the missile's datalink. They may also operate in the command guidance mode in intensive electronic warfare environments.
The AD-16 was initially deployed by the Commonwealth Navy. A canister of four AD-16s may be 'quad-packed' into one self-defence length V90 VLS cell. The IR-variant of the missile also has anti-surface capabilities and has been mooted as an effective counter against swarming small boat attacks.
AD-16 Adder Extended-Range
The Adder-ER is designed to take advantage of the full dimensions of a strike-length V90 vertical-launch cell. It is essentially the baseline missile fitted with a 3-metre solid-fuel booster, extending its reach to 80km. As its diameter remains the same as the baseline variant, it retains the ability to be quad-packed into a vertical-launch cell.
Ground deployment
The AD-16 also replaced the Rapier as the main division-level ground-based air defence system, designated as the 'Mobile Medium-range SAM System' ("MMSS").
Each battery consists of a battery-HQ vehicle including a surveillance radar. It is split into four launch sections, each with two TELAR's, a reload vehicle and a fire control radar.
Each TELAR consists of a wheeled, towed- four-canister launcher. It is equipped with an infrared search-and-tracking device which enables 'radar-silent' engagments in hostile ECM/SEAD environments.
A pair of TELAR's are linked to a FREEFIRE X-band phased-array radar, which has a degree of air-search capability in the event that a battery search radar is unavailable. The battery's command vehicle is equipped with a GIRAFFE Radar, which is mounted on top of the battery HQ. This functions as the battery's long-range early-warning radar.