LMI-100 Soteria
| LMI-100 Soteria | |
|---|---|
 A Soteria missile system in use by the Aquitaynian Air Force in 2014. | |
| Type | Mobile long range surface-to-air missile with anti-ballistic missile capability |
| Place of origin |  Aquitayne |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2013–present, in the military service with 2010. |
| Used by | See operators |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Freyport Armory |
| Designed | 2007 |
| Unit cost | about NSD$45 million |
| Produced | 2012 |
| No. built | See operators |
| Variants | See variants |
The LMI-100 Soteria is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary unit of its kind used by the Aquitaynian Army and several allied nations throughout Astyria. It is manufactured by Aquitaynian defense-contractor Verion, after being designed from 2007 by Freyport Armory. The AA/MPR-125 at the heart of the system is regarded as the lifeblood of the unit, sending and receiving all valuable data to the rest of the components. The Soteria replaced the aging fleet of Caprican-made SAM systems, putting Aquitayne on the leading edge of SAM system technology, and is now the Aquitaynian Army's primary High to Medium Air Defense (HIMAD) system. In addition to these roles, the Aquitaynian Army as well as the Aquitaynian Air Force uses the Soteria as the military's anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system. The system is expected to stay in service until 2050.
Soteria uses advanced radar and tracking technologies to accomplish its mission. Soteria was designed at the Freyport Armory Design Headquarters in Castineos, which had previously developed many infantry-based military hardware for the Aquitaynian military.
The Soteria missile system is a highly restricted export item, and so far has only been sold to close Aquitaynian allies. Symphonia, Aswick and New Pangus are the only three known foreign nations to operate the Soteria, with reported talks with the Riysan government on the purchase of some units. Reportedly, the Caprican military has tried to obtain some units of the Soteria system, but have been denied by the Aquitaynian military due to their membership in the East Astyrian Treaty Alliance.
Introduction
In 2004, the Aquitaynian Armed Services sent out a contract to major defense industry suppliers throughout the country that the military was in need of a new surface to air missile system. Four different companies entered bids for the contract, coming up with competitive concepts that saw all of the suppliers through to the development phase of testing, where they were granted money from the Ministry of Defense to develop the weapon. One company, Trinad, dropped out of the competition after they exceeded their grant money and did not have the funds to continue developing the system. Freyport Armory displayed Unit 1072, code-named "Soteria", that it delivered to the Aquitaynian Army for test trials.
On April 2nd, 2005, the first Soteria prototype was tested at the Major Reems Firing Range at Fort Lear. The system adequately targeted, identified and engaged a remotely-operated T-50 Golden Eagle training aircraft that had been designated for testing. The basic concept and functionality of the weapons system had been proven, and the Soteria, along with another system were pushed to the second phase of the trials. During the second phase of the trials, the systems were pushed to the limit in target identification, quantity of targets, identification and engagement of intercontinental ballistic missiles, detection of stealth aircraft, detection and engagement times, and accuracy of the missiles themselves.
Ultimately, the Soteria came out on top with high approval ratings and excellent accuracy margins. In November of 2005, the Ministry of Defense announced that the Soteria had won the competition and that Freyport Armory was going to be given a 20 year defense contract to manufacture the Soteria. Between the Soteria winning the development grant and it entering production, however, more extensive field testing was conducted as well as additional and more advanced equipment being implemented into its combat system. It quickly became one of the most advanced pieces of military hardware in the Aquitaynian military.
Soteria Equipment
The Soteria has multiple major operational functions: communications, command and control, radar surveillance, missile guidance, and target engagement. These core functions combine to ensure a secure, integrated, mobile air defense system.
The Soteria system is designed to be modular and highly mobile. A battery-sized element can be emplaced in less than 1 hour. All systems, consisting of the fire and control system (radar set, engagement control station, antenna mast group, electric power plant) and launchers, are truck - or trailer-mounted. The radar set and launchers (with missiles) are mounted on M860 semi-trailers, which are towed by Oshkosh M983 HEMTTs, the standard heavy duty truck for the Aquitaynian military.
Missile reload is accomplished by a M985 HEMTT truck with a Hiab crane on the back. This truck/crane, called a Guided Missile Transporter (GMT), removes spent missile canisters from the launcher and then replaces them with ready-to-use missile tubes.
AA/MPR-125 and AA/MPR-300 Radar Set
The AA/MPR-125/-300 Radar systems are the most advanced assets the Soteria has within its configuration. The set is a passively electronically scanned array radar equipped with IFF, electronic counter-countermeasure (ECCM), and track-via-missile (TVM) guidance subsystems.
The AA/MPR-125/-300 two radar systems have different functions that join together to create a highly versatile and effective search and detection system. The main difference between the two radar systems is that the -125 radar array conducts its searches on low-frequency radio bands, much like AESA radar, that use low energy pulses across a wide band of frequencies (spread spectrum transmission). These frequencies all return their respective echoes, which are collated by the targeting computer. Ultimately, however, due to the nature of the low frequency of the pulses and the multitude of bands being used, the individual pulses are less strong than traditional radar searches, however they do return equally efficient pings. This means that the pings an aircraft's radar system receives will have a much more difficult time configuring the nature of the pings, meaning Soteria is more difficult to identify as a surface-to-air missile system than contemporaries on the market. This gives Soteria a distinct first-strike advantage over any aircraft that are on search and destroy missions, close air support or a combat air patrol that might be seeking out SAM sites to destroy. The frequency-hopping of the -125 also increases the difficulty of successfully jamming the system, as doing so would require jamming across the entire frequency range on which the radar operates.
The second radar system on the Soteria, the -300, is a more traditional and obvious radar band search system. The -300 is equipped with an additional travelling wave tube (TWT), which gives the -300 radar increased search, detection, and tracking capability. The -300 radar system is equipped with over 6,000 elements that "flash" the enemy's radar beam thousands of times per second. The -300's radar antenna array is also equipped with the IFF interrogator subsystem, TVM array, and two "sidelobe canceler" (SLC) systems, which is a small array designed to decrease interference that might affect the radar. The Soteria is a unique surface-to-air missile system in that a single unit completes the entire spectrum of search and destroy procedure, in that it is a "detection-to-kill" system, meaning that a single unit performs all search, identification, track, and engagement functions.
The beam created by the -300 radar array, in contrast to the -125 radar array, is a narrow array and highly agile when compared to a moving dish. This characteristic of the -300 radar allows it to detect fast moving and small objects, like ballistic missiles, or low radar cross-section targets such as stealth aircraft or cruise missiles. Additionally, the Soteria's radar system is highly resilient to enemy jamming mechanisms, including electronic countermeasures that are often found aboard advanced aircraft, which include radar jamming and radar warning receiver equipment. The -300 radar array is also capable of quickly changing frequencies to avoid enemy jamming from aircraft.
The Soteria systems are also equipped with Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based sensors that are much smaller than those found on typical systems that are Soteria's contemporaries. They are bolt-on antennas that and can be oriented to the primary threat. A rear panel attached to the system allows the unit to look behind and to the sides, providing 360-degree coverage. The GaN-based radar array is also proven to have minimal maintenance costs, drastically reducing the upkeep requirements for the Soteria compared to prior SAM systems in use by the Aquitaynian military. The GaN array also features the many small transmitters that each have their own control, which means that even if some transmitters fail, others will still operate independently and without interference from broken ones.
The AA/MPR-500 Engagement Control Station (ECS) is the nerve center of the Soteria battery, costing roughly $9 million NSD per unit. The ECS consists of a shelter mounted on the bed of a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (LMTV) cargo truck. The main sub-components of the ECS are the Weapons Control Computer (WCC), the Data Link Terminal (DTL), the UHF communications array, Routing Logic Radio Interface Unit (RLRIU), and the two manstations that serve as the system's man-to-machine interface. The ECS is air conditioned, pressurized (to resist chemical/biological attack), and shielded against electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or other such electromagnetic interference.
The Weapons Control Computer is a highly advanced piece of technology that operates the heart of the Soteria battery. It is a 64-bit parallel militarized computer with fixed and floating point capabilities. It features a touch screen interface as well as custom Ministry of Defense software that calculates missile intercept algorithms, and provides limited fault diagnostics. The computer features a 4.2 Ghz processor that is operated at a maximum clock rate of 4.4 Ghz. All data stored on the computer is found on a 2TB Solid state drive that rapidly improves the response time for the Weapons Control Computer. Compared to modern personal computers, this machine is on-par with processing power, but does not feature any type of graphical processing unit, though it does feature a simplistic graphical user interface (GUI).
The Data Link Terminal connects to the Engagement Control Station to Soteria's Launching Stations. It uses fiber optic cables to rapidly send and receive AES-256 encrypted data between the ECS and launchers. Through the DLT, the system operators can remotely emplace, slew or stow launchers, perform diagnostics on launchers or missiles, and fire missiles.
The UHF communications array consists of three UHF radio stacks and their associated patching and encryption equipment. These radios are connected to the antennas of the ORA-30 Antenna Mast Group, which are used to create UHF "shots" between sister Soteria batteries and their associated ICC. This creates a secure, real-time data network (known as SODIL, Soteria Data Information Link) that allows the ICC to centralize control of its subordinate firing batteries.
The RLRIU functions as the primary router for all data coming into the ECS. The RLRIU gives a firing battery an address on the battalion data network, and sends/receives data from across the battalion. It also "translates" data coming from the WCC to the DLT, facilitating communication with the launchers. It conducts end-to-end encryption, encrypting and decrypting all data before it moves to the next battery location.
Soteria crew stations are referred to as Manstations 1 and 3 (MS 1 & MS 3). These are the stations where the Soteria operators interface with the system. The manstations consist of a monochrome (green and black) screen surrounded by various Switch Indicators. Each manstation also has a traditional QWERTY keyboard and a typical computer mouse. The manstation interface system is updated with the latest processing power and is similar to the Weapons Control Computer in system hardware. It features a 4.0 Ghz processor that is not permitted to be overclocked, with a 1TB solid-state drive that holds the operating software for the Soteria user interface. These computer upgrades facilitate fast and reliable data recovery, use, and transmission while in combat.
Ultimately, given optimal weather conditions, the Soteria system can detect, identify, track, target, and engage an enemy aircraft with a radar cross section as small as <0.1 m² within 15 seconds.
The ORA-30 Antenna Mast Group
The ORA-30 Antenna Mast Group is mounted on an additional M983 HEMTT cargo truck. It includes four 6kW antennas in two pairs on remotely controlled masts. Emplacement of the AMG can have no greater than a 0.5 degree roll, and 10 degree crossroll. The antennas are controlled in azimuth, and the masts can be elevated to 110 feet 5 inches above ground level. Mounted at the base of each pair of antennas are two high-power amplifiers associated with the antennas and the radios in the collocated shelter. It is through these antennas that the ECS and ICC send their respective UHF "shots" to create the SODIL network. The polarity of each shot can be changed by adjusting the "feedhorn" to a vertical or horizontal position. This enables a greater chance of communication shots reaching their intended target when terrain obstacles may otherwise obscure the signal.
The DEPP-90 Electric Power Plant
The Diesel Electric Power Plant 90 (DEPP-90) is the power center for the ECS and Radar. The DEPP-90 consists of three 150 kilowatt diesel engines with 400-hertz, 3-phase generators that are interconnected through the power distribution unit. The generators are mounted on a modified M983 HEMTT. Each DEPP has two 75 gallon (280 L) fuel tanks and a fuel distribution assembly with grounding equipment. Each diesel engine can operate for more than eight hours with a full fuel tank. The EPP delivers its power to the Radar and ECS through cables stored in reels alongside the generators. Additionally, it powers the AMG via a cable routed through the ECS.
The L302 Launching Station
The L302 Launching Stations are remotely operated, self-contained units. The ECS controls operation of the launchers through each launcher's DLT, via fiber optic or VHF AESA 256-bit encrypted data link.
The L302 Launching Station has integral grounding equipment that allows it to be placed on up to a 10 degree incline without performance deficiencies in the accuracy of the missiles. Each launcher is trainable in azimuth and elevates to a fixed, elevated launch position. Precise aiming of the launcher before firing is not necessary, as the missiles are equipped with advanced tracking equipment to readily and accurately engage the targeted object. Each launcher is also capable of providing detailed diagnostics to the ECS via the ecnrypted data link.
The launching station contains four major equipment subsystems: the launcher generator set, the launcher electronics module (LEM), the launcher mechanics assembly (LMA), and the launcher interconnection group (LIG). The generator set consists of a 20kW, 450 hertz generator that powers the launcher. The LEM is used for real-time implementation of launcher options requested via the encrypted data link from the ECS. The LMA physically erects and rotates the launcher's platform positioning and its missiles. The LIG connects the missiles themselves to the launcher via the Launcher Missile Round Distributor (LMRD).
Medium Extended Air Defense Integrated Network
The Medium Extended Air Defense Integrated Network (MEADIN), is a ground-mobile air defense system that was developed in 2015 to update and enhance the performance of Aquitaynian Soteria missile systems through 2050.
The MEADIN system uses integrated battlefield networking and advanced mobile radar and command units to effectively target and engage aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. MEADIN utilizes all of the base Soteria functions that are highlighted above, but also incorporates more advanced and mobile platforms to achieve greater area coverage for the Soteria system. The MEADIN enhancement to the Soteria system provides enhanced force protection against a broad array of third-dimension threats. Unit interoperability, mobility and full 360-degree coverage with no blind spots are definitive aspects of the MEADIN system. The MEADIN system is easily deployable, rolling straight onto cargo aircraft and rolling off in-theater, ready to engage the enemy at a moments notice.
The MEADIN system, like the base Soteria system, uses the PAC-4 missile to engage and intercept aircraft, ballistic missiles as well as cruise missiles. The radar system used in conjunction with base Soteria systems is utilizing active phased arrays and digital beam forming – which enable full use of the PAC-4 missile’s extended range. The use of 360-degree surveillance and fire control sensors, netted-distributed tactical operations centers, and lightweight launchers also allow the MEADIN Soteria system to be deployed rapidly and accurately, and also provide for over-the-shoulder missile launches, given the 70 degree launch incline of the Soteria launchers.
The minimum engagement requirements for the MEADIN system is only one launcher, one battle manager, and one fire control radar to provide 360-degree defense of troops or critical assets. As more system elements arrive, they automatically and seamlessly join the MEADIN network and build out capability. This function has also been brought backward to base Soteria SAM systems, to improve the coverage of all Soteria systems.
Multifunction Fire and Control Radar (MFCR)
The MFCR is an x-band, solid state, phased array radar using element-level transmit and receive modules developed by Freyport Armory.The MFCR is also equipped with active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which improves its scan capabilities and target identification subsystems dramatically. During extremely rapid deployments, the MFCR can function as both the surveillance and fire control capabilities for the MEADIN system until a surveillance radar joins the battery. The MFCR uses its main beam for uplink and downlink missile communications, and is equipped with a more secure and accurate Mode 5 identification friend-or-foe subsystem.
Surveillance Radar
The UHF MEADIN Surveillance Radar component to the MEADIN and Soteria base systems provides 360-degree active electronically steered array (AESA) radar that provides extended range coverage. It provides threat detection capability against highly maneuverable low-signature threats, including short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and other air-breathing threats. This system is equipped to detect stealth aircraft and cruise missiles as well, using a variety of low-band frequencies as well as changing frequencies multiple times per second to reduce the impact of electronic jamming. Additionally, the Surveillance Radar system operates under the radio wave detection range of most HARM missiles.
Tactical Operations Center (TOC)
The Tactical Operations Center, or TOC, is a Battle Management, Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (BMC4I) center that serves as the nerve center for the MEADIN and Soteria base systems. It provides an advanced network-centric open architecture that allows any combination of sensors and launchers to be organized into a single air and missile defense battle element. The system is netted and distributed, increasing its security and stability against any type of enemy electronic jamming or attack; effectively, if one TOC connected to the MEADIN system is destroyed, a different TOC will immediately assume the role of the destroyed TOC and the combat effectiveness of the system will be maintained. Each MEADIN TOC acts as a single node on the MEADIN battlefield integrated network, and by virtue of multiple communication paths, the network can be expanded or contracted as the situation dictates and precludes single point failure if one node becomes inoperable.
Another feature of the MEADIN TOC and launcher systems is that it has a plug-and-play functionality. Effectively, the Tactical Operations Center as well as any launchers can seamlessly enter and exit the Battlefield Integrated Network at any time, instantly joining or exiting the fight if redeployment is needed, without affecting the integrity or functionality of the rest of the Soteria battery systems or subsystems. The Soteria battlefield integrated network also uses open, non-proprietary software which allows other battlefield elements to connect to the network and vice versa, providing for greater combined arms effectiveness and lethality.
For example, three MEADIN or Soteria batteries can operate independently of one another within 80 kilometers. However, using the plug-and-play functionality of the MEADIN and Soteria systems, all three of the Soteria batteries can join a single network and create an expansive, fully covered 80 kilometer air defense zone jointly, where previously they would be independent of one another and not share any valuable battlefield data. Now, all Soteria batteries and MEADIN systems are capable of becoming one larger air defense network without sacrificing accuracy, stability or performance capabilities, greatly increasing the effectiveness of the Soteria SAM system.
Launcher and reloader
The MEADIN launcher is an updated version of the L302 Soteria launcher, and carries eight PAC-4 missiles. The main difference in armament, however, is that the MEADIN launcher is optimized for use with the PAC-4 launcher and does not have as great of effectiveness with the PAC-5 missile. The MEADIN launcher allows the PAC-4 missile to target, engage and accurately approach enemy fast-moving and small air-breathing objects, such as aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. The MEADIN launcher rests at a 70 degree incline, making it easier for the PAC-4 to conduct over-the-shoulder launches and change trajectory in terminal launch rapidly and accurately to improve lethality.
Variants
| Soteria missile | |
|---|---|
| File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Iron Dome Intercepts Rockets from the Gaza Strip.jpg Up to sixteen Soteria missiles can be launched from the highly mobile LMI | |
| Type | Surface-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | Aquitayne |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Freyport Armory |
| Designed | 2008 |
| Manufacturer | Freyport Armory |
| Unit cost | US$1 to 6 million |
| Produced | 2010 |
| No. built | over 7,000 |
| Specifications (PAC-4) | |
| Weight | 320 kg (710 lb) |
| Length | 5,200 mm (17 ft 1 in) |
| Diameter | 102.5 mm (4.04 in) |
| Warhead | M248 Composition B HE blast/fragmentation with two layers of pre-formed fragments and Octol 75/25 HE blast/fragmentation |
| Warhead weight | 50 lb (20 kg) |
Detonation mechanism | Proximity fuse |
| Wingspan | 230 mm (9.1 in) |
| Propellant | Solid-fuel rocket |
Operational range | PAC-4: 40km PAC-5: 45 km against ballistic missile 160 km |
| Flight altitude | 50,000 feet (15,200 m) |
| Speed | PAC-4/5: Mach 4 |
Guidance system | Radio command with Track Via Missile semi-active homing |
Launch platform | mobile trainable four-round semi-trailer |
PAC-4 Anti-Aircraft Missile
The PAC-4 Anti Aircraft Missile is the standard outfit for Soteria batteries. The PAC-4 missile is outfitted with a domestic tracking system, the FAR-988 guidance system, which is capable of electro-optical IR detection, SALH, and SACLOS. The PAC-4 utilizes a joint tail fin/canard design, providing it with increased stability and maneuverability when being operated in combat and allows it to rapidly change directions to reorient itself on the target. The PAC-4 uses a liquid propellant rocket motor, and is considered as being a bipropellant missile. The missile also uses a LOBL (Lock On Before Launch) system to allow the missile to create a correct flight path towards the target to ensure maximum accuracy and damage, but when ranging into the target it initiates a LOAL (Lock on After Launch) system to verify the target and engage it accurately. The missile uses the heat trail of aircraft to ensure it can lock onto stealth targets accurately, as well as utilizing continuous data links to the Soteria targeting computer to ensure maximum accuracy. To ensure that the missile cannot be targeted by AAM (Anti-Air Missiles), the PAC-4 uses sophisticated IRCCM (Infrared Countermeasures) to make sure that it can effectively engage its target. The design of the PAC-4 allows it to generate low-drag and high-lift, allowing the angle of attack for the PAc-4 to increase any time it is necessary.
The PAC-4's internal softwares are protected by advanced security architecture that prevent disruption from enemy electronic warfare units, such as jamming. This also allows the PAC-4 to distinguish electronic countermeasures from its targeting devices. The PAC-4 uses conical scanning, which gives it superior discrimination among countermeasures, and increased sensitivity for long range tracking on hard to detect targets.The PAC-4 also uses a'chirp' system to further insulate itself from electronic jamming. The chirp method acts in boosting the apparent signal strength as perceived by the radar receiver. When the pulse reflects off a target and returns to the receiver, the signal is processed to add a delay as a part of the frequency. This has the effect of 'stacking' the pulse so the signal seems stronger, but shorter in duration, to further processors. This can increase the received signal strength to above that of noise jamming, keeping the missile safe.
An Ammonium perchlorate propellant, aluminum powder energizer, and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene binding solution makes up the fuel system for the PAC-4 and PAC-5 missiles, as it is the most effective and powerful fuel system used in modern missile systems. The Ministry of Defense prefers this mixture as it provides for the most reliable missiles as well, as the fuel mixture is highly stable and can be stored for long periods of time.
Once the missile reaches its designated target, the warhead at the front of the projectile will detonate in an annular blast-fragmentation method, creating a cone of dense fragmentation that impacts the targeted aircraft to devastating effect. The shrapnel often rips into the air frame of the aircraft and severs vital control functions, and the shockwave from the blast often knocks out rudder function and damages the structural integrity of the aircraft itself. The PAC-4 is capable of speeds reaching Mach 4.2, making it a fast, maneuverable, and deadly projectile for Aquitaynian air defense against air assets, and provides for lethal accuracy and deadly impact energy when detonated at such high speeds.
One cell of 4 PAC-4 missiles can be reloaded by crew in ten minutes. To reload an entire Soteria battery takes roughly twenty to thirty minutes.
PAC-5 Ballistic Missile Interceptor
The PAC-5 is the secondary armament for the Soteria missile system. The PAC-5 shares the same domestic tracking system as the PAC-4, ther FAR-988 guidance system, which is capable of electro-optical IR detection, SALH, and SACLOS. The PAC-5 is designed to intercept ballistic missiles as well as cruise missiles, and is a much larger missile than the PAC-4. The PAC-5 has a range of 170 kilometers, ensuring that it can detect and destroy enemy ballistic missiles before they become a threat to any military or civilian populations or concentrations. The PAC-5 uses a three staged boost system. The paired boost system attached to the lower half of the missile body operates on the same Ammonium perchlorate propellant, aluminum powder energizer, and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene binding solution fuel mixture as the PAC-4 to ensure it reaches and accurately engages its target.
The booster system uses two nozzles to control thrust and bearing, as well as to sustain propulsion power. Once the rear booster is empty, it will automatically detach from the rest of the missile system, and the secondary booster will engage. The rear booster will automatically detach from the body of the missile within 20 kilometers of the target if it is still attached to ensure minimal weight is being carried for maximum accuracy and lethality. The PAC-5 relies on the Soteria Engagement Control Station, and more importantly the Weapons Control Computer to guide it towards the designated target. Though the missile does have on-board tracking mechanisms like a LOAL (Lock on After Launch) within 10 kilometers of the target via infrared imaging, it is not designed to independently track and destroy its target.
The PAC-5 does retain some level of on-board electronic countermeasures to electronic jamming, as well as sophisticated internal architecture that protects the integrity of the missile to engage the target and destroy it. The PAC-5 is capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 4.1, and shares the same maneuverability functions and overall design function as the PAC-4.
The significant difference between the PAC-4 and the PAC-5 is the size of the missile itself. Though the PAC-4's features have been scaled to meet the needs and requirements of the PAC-5, the PAC-5 is a larger missile that holds a larger warhead and more fuel for increased range. This means that, unlike the PAC-4, the L302 Launching Station can only hold four canisters of PAC-5 missiles when compared to sixteen canisters of PAC-4 missiles.
It takes roughly twenty minutes for a full unit of PAC-5 missiles to be reloaded and ready to fire.
