AD-12 Area Defence Missile
| AD-12 Area Defence Missile | |
|---|---|
 Top: AD-12 MR, bottom: AD-12 LR | |
| Type | long-range surface-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | Arthurista |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2004-present |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Arthuristan Dynamics |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 480kg (MR), 1,500kg (LR & ASAT), |
| Length | 5m (MR), 6.6m (LR & ASAT) |
| Diameter | 0.53m (LR & ASAT) |
| Engine | Two-stage solid-fuel rocket |
Operational range |
|
| Flight ceiling | 20km (160km for ABM variants) |
| Speed | Mach 4.5 |
Guidance system | Active radar, track-via-missile (MR variant backup mode of operation), semi-active radar (LR only), datalink |
The AD-12, a long range surface-to-air missile, was developed to replace the Commonwealth Navy's Sea Dart missiles and the Commonwealth Army's Land Dart as a long range area defence system. It was designed to be compatible with modern VLS-systems and has the capability to intercept a wide variety of air threats, including highly manoeuverable anti-ship sea-skimming and ballistic missiles.
AD-12 MR
The Medium Range version of the missile emphasises above all maximum speed and maneouverability in order to counter very agile supersonic cruise missiles. This is achieved using a combination of direct thrust-vectoring controls located at the missile's centre-of-gravity and maneouvering fins. This allows very 60G+ manoeuvres to be performed without losing aerodynamic performance.
Another vital feature was the use of a active radar seeker package. The launching battery of ship's fire control system directs the missile's mid-course flight towards its target's general direction using datalinks. In the terminal phase, the missile will mainly utilise its active-radar seeker to track and engage its target autonomously without operator intervention.
The AD-12 was designed for the network-centric battlespace. It is connected into the Arthuristan military's battlenets, allowing ships and aircrafts to relay mid-course correction data via its datalink. The missile has automatic multiple-engagement capability - if the target it was originally tracking was destroyed, it can autonomously find out another using its active-radar seeker. Alternatively, secondary targets may be pre-set by the launching ship or AWAC aircraft and communicated to the missile via the battlenet. The radio-datalink installed on the missile utilises rapid frequency hopping technology in order to increase its jam-resistance.
In intensive electronic warfare environments, the missile's radar receiver and jam-resistance datalink may be utilised in tandem in track-via-missile mode to defeat enemy jamming and other soft-kill countermeasures, in combination with the launching platform's AESA fire control radar which would use high-powered, focused 'pencil beams' to 'burn through' enemy jamming.
AD-12 LR
The AD-12 Long Range variant is a multi-stage missile which, as the name suggests, emphasises the ability to engage targets at 'over-the-horizon' distances, allowing for fleet units to act in conjunction with long range surveillance platforms such as AWAC aircraft to effectuate Cooperative Engagement in an network-centric environment. It is also capable of intercepting a medium range ballistic missiles in its terminal phase.
The missile does not share an airframe with the Medium Range variant. Rather, it is a dimensionally larger munition which may only be launched using the 'strike length' model of the V90 or similar vertical launch systems. Like the Medium Range variant, it features a direct thrust-vectoring exhaust nozzle to enable it to intercept an agile, maneouvering target.
The AD-12 LR may engage high altitude, diving targets, such as medium range ballistic missiles possessing up to 3,000km range. Alternatively, it may be used to effectuate an 'over-the-horizon' shot, or firing around obstacles, at ground-hugging or sea-skimming low altitude targets, if such a target may be under surveillance or acquired by another Arthuristan or allied assets. Such engagements will take place with the missile performing a semi-ballistic flight profile, which will involve the munition diving on the target from above.
The AD-12 LR possesses a dual-mode seeker. Like the Medium Range variant, it may acquire a target on its own using active radar guidance. Alternatively, it may rely on a fire control radar and utilise semi-active radar guidance as its method of engagement. The latter would be especially useful when engaging stealthy targets, or in an intensive electronic warfare environment, wherein significant energy may need to be focused on the target by the fire control radar in a narrow 'pencil beam' in order to reflect enough radar energy to generate a return, or to burn through jamming.
The AD-12 LR is an extremely costly ordnance. It is not clear whether these weapons are routinely deployed abroad Commonwealth Navy ships.
Surface strike mode
The AD-12 LR has an additional function as a long range, supersonic anti-surface weapon. If a hostile vessel or ground target is acquired and tracked by a friendly asset, it can be engaged by an AD-12 LR missile, utilising a semi-ballistic flight profile. Maximum range against such targets is roughly 360km. In the strike role, the missile suffers from light warhead weight (around 60kg), but this is partly compensated by its very high kinetic energy.
AD-12 BMD and AD-12 ASAT
The Anti-Satellite variant features an airframe derived from the AD-12 LR. It features a three-stage solid-fuel rocket booster and is capable of destroying targets at the low-earth orbit. Rumours speak of prototypes of the weapon having been built. However, there is no confirmation that they have ever been tested.
Land deployment
When deployed on land, the missile is operated by the artillery branch and grouped into batteries, each with a HQ, six launch-vehicles, reload vehicles and sensors. Each battery is supported by an AESA X-band FREEFIRE multi-function radar which can search, acquire and engage targets without assistance from other assets. Around 2006, the BLINDSIGHT PESA L-band long range/volume search radar was introduced to complement FREEFIRE at the regimental (i.e. battalion) level. It is capable of tracking 800+ aerial targets and can detect ballistic missiles at 1,000km+ range and low-RCS cruise missiles at 70km. As most stealth architecture is optimised against X-band radars, the BLINDSIGHT provides an effective counter against stealth technology, especially if the target is detected from the side or rear profile. While it possesses insufficient resolution to generate targeting data, it can locate the stealthy target with enough accuracy to allow the main X-band engagement radar to illuminate it with a focused, high energy 'pencil-beam', allowing it to guide a missile against the target in semi-active mode. If engagement radars are not available, the missile may still be guided using its mid-course correction datalink.
The Land-based version of the AD-12 is considered to be a strategic-level asset. Batteries are not strictly speaking confined to deploying at fixed sites. However, they do require considerable effort to move and redeploy to another suitable area.