The Oerlikon/
Martin Marietta Air Defense Anti Tank System (US designation MIM-146 ''ADATS'') is a dual-purpose
short range surface-to-air
A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...
and
anti-tank missile system based on the
M113A2 vehicle. The ADATS missile is a
laser-guided
Laser guidance directs a robotics system to a target position by means of a laser beam. The laser guidance of a robot is accomplished by projecting a laser light, image processing and communication to improve the accuracy of guidance. The key ide ...
supersonic missile with a range of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), with an
electro-optical sensor with TV and
Forward Looking Infrared
Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras, typically used on military and civilian aircraft, use a thermographic camera that senses infrared radiation.
The sensors installed in forward-looking infrared cameras, as well as those of other thermal ...
(FLIR). The carrying vehicle also has a search radar with an effective range of over 25 kilometers (16 miles).
The first firing of an ''ADATS'' missile occurred in June 1981. Canada was the launch customer for the system with 36 Units on the
M113 chassis ordered for the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...
in 1986. The system was further developed and produced at a new facility in
Québec. The
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
also selected ADATS installed on the
M2 Bradley
The M2 Bradley, or Bradley IFV, is an American infantry fighting vehicle that is a member of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family. It is manufactured by BAE Systems Land & Armaments, which was formerly United Defense.
The Bradley is designed ...
chassis but by the time it was ready for service the ending of the
Cold War led the US Army to cancel its orders, after Oerlikon invested over
CHF 1 billion in the project. A small number of vehicles, many of them the developmental prototypes, entered service with the Canadian Army.
History
ADATS was trialed or proposed on a variety of different platforms to suit the needs of the user for the defense of mobile field formations or fixed sites such as airfields. Besides the M113A2 tracked vehicle chosen by Canada, ADATS was also installed on the M2 Bradley chassis for the US Army and the Swiss
MOWAG Shark
The MOWAG Shark is an armored personnel carrier produced by the MOWAG Motor Car Factory, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.
Development
The Shark was developed by the MOWAG Company as a private venture specifically for the export market. It builds up ...
8x8 vehicle, and proposed for the British
Warrior MICV chassis. A shelter mounted version either with on-mount radar for autonomous use, or without radar for coordination with a central fire control center could be mounted on a 4x4 or 6x6 military truck or installed in fixed locations. This version was purchased by Thailand. A version mounted on the 4 wheel trailer used for the Oerlikon Contraves Skyguard fire control system and without radar, probably intended for integration with Skyguard and
Oerlikon GDF
The Oerlikon GDF or Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon is a towed anti-aircraft gun made by Oerlikon Contraves (renamed as ''Rheinmetall Air Defence AG'' following the merger with Rheinmetall in 2009). The system was originally designated 2 ZLA/35 ...
35mm guns, was also proposed.
There was also a proposed naval version called Sea Sprint using the standard 8-missile turret minus the radar, proposed for the close-in anti-air and anti-missile self-defense role.
Oerlikon also suggested a dedicated anti-tank system without the radar, including a version mounted on a long articulating arm that could be elevated high above the vehicle to clear trees or terrain while the launch vehicle remained hidden.
Canada
ADATS entered service with the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...
(in 1989) as a mobile, M113 based system.
First systems were deployed as part of Canada's
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
contribution in West-Germany. 36 systems were delivered by 1994.
Cost of the system was initially $650 million. Over the life of the project, total cost reached $1.1 billion.
After their return from Germany, Canadian ADATS systems were only operationally deployed once: In June 2002, they were used to defend the airspace of the
G8 summit held in Kananaskis, Alberta. Canadian ADATS were never operationally deployed in
Bosnia or
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.
As of 31 March 2011, the ADATS has been withdrawn from Canadian service with no planned replacement announced.
Canadian acquisition of the ADATS system was marred by a scandal relating to the purchase of the land where assembly of the system was to take place. The property had been bought and sold several times over a short period of time and its price inflated before it was sold to Oerlikon. It led to the resignation of Minister of State for Transport
André Bissonnette who had been directly involved in the land deal, and several criminal accusations.
US Army evaluation
The ADATS cropped up from an extensive competition during which it was selected by the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
for the Forward Area Air-Defense (FAAD) program under the designation MIM-146 for the missile. The US Army planned to purchase 387 systems.
Test results indicated that the system did not perform well in inclement weather. Ultimately the FAAD contract was cancelled in the early 1990s after the end of the
Cold War.
Thailand
The
Royal Thai Air Force
"Royal Thai Air Force March"
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 9 April 1937 (Royal Thai Air Force Day)
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
, battles ...
acquired one static shelter-based system from Oerlikon Canada, linked to a
Skyguard fire control system.
Greece
In the late 1990s, Canada offered the surplus ADATS systems to the
Greek military as part of a Low Level Air Defence program.
The offer was considered but not accepted. Greece eventually purchased the Russian
Tor missile system
The Tor (russian: Тор; en, torus) is an all-weather, low- to medium-altitude, short-range surface-to-air missile system designed for destroying airplanes, helicopters, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and short-range ballistic thr ...
.
Modernization program
In September 2005, the
Canadian Government
The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in ...
and the
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Forc ...
announced a modernization program, transforming the ADATS and associated command, control and communications systems into a Multi-Mission Effects Vehicle (MMEV). The MMEV was to retain and enhance ADATS anti-aircraft and anti-armor capability (85% or better engagement success rate) to meet new threats, provide
indirect fire
Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting aim ...
support to ground troops, and would be mounted on a
LAV III wheeled armoured vehicle.
It was to be fitted with a
3D radar, non-line-of-sight missile (using
unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controll ...
s (UAVs) to gather required intelligence and target location at a range of 8 km or more) and low-cost precision kill (LCPK) missile (fireable on direct shot at a >8 km range), based on a 2.75-inch rocket and advanced Battle Management Command and Control Communication Computer and Information (BMC41), including
Link 11
TADIL-A/Link 11 is a secure half-duplex tactical data link used by NATO to exchange digital data. It was originally developed by a joint committee including members from the Canadian Navy, US Navy and Royal Navy to pass accurate targeting inform ...
/
16, to provide
Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR).
In July 2006, Canadian Forces Land Staff recommended the cancellation of the Multi-Mission Effects Vehicle Project.
The program was cancelled in November 2006.
ADATS has now been withdrawn from Canadian service.
Missile
* Length: 2.05 m
* Diameter: 152 mm
* Launch weight: approx. 51 kg
* Speed: > Mach 3
* Range: 10 km
* Ceiling: 7,000 m
* Warhead: 12.5 kg
high explosive
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An ...
(HE)
fragmentation/
shaped charge
A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to form an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, ini ...
,
impact and
proximity fuze
* Penetration: 900 mm
rolled homogeneous armour
Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) is a type of vehicle armour made of a single steel composition hot-rolled to improve its material characteristics, as opposed to layered or cemented armour. Its first common application was in tanks. After World ...
(RHA)
* Guidance: Digitally coded
laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fi ...
beam-riding
Beam-riding, also known as Line-Of-Sight Beam Riding (LOSBR) or beam guidance, is a technique of directing a missile to its target by means of radar or a laser beam. The name refers to the way the missile flies down the guidance beam, which is ai ...
References
External links
ADATSat FAS.org
at designation-systems.net Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles
{{US missiles
Anti-tank guided missiles
20th-century surface-to-air missiles
Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons
Weapons of Switzerland
Weapons of Canada
Military equipment introduced in the 1980s
Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s