ADATS Short-range dual purpose missile system (Switzerland)
Channel: Main Battle Tank
Date: 2023-01-23

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The ADATS was the first guided missile system expressly designed to engage both aircraft and armored vehicles. The name itself is an allusion to this mission, being short for "Air Defense Anti Tank System". It was developed in the mid-1970s by Oerlikon-Bührle (later Oerlikon Aerospace, then Oerlikon-Contraves, and now part of Rheinmetall Air Defence AG), with Martin Marietta (now part of Lockheed Martin) becoming a partner in the project in 1979. The first test launch of an ADATS missile was conducted in 1981.

   The development of the ADATS was serendipitous, as in the early 1980s, the US Army had established a requirement for two new Short-Range Air Defense (SHORAD) weapons. Dubbed "FAAD" (Forward Area Air Defense), this program was intended to produce replacements for the M167 Vulcan and MIM-72 Chaparral, which in fact had both only been meant as interim systems in the first place. The ADATS had fierce competition, being pitted against the Liberty (a Crotale variant), the Paladin (a Roland variant), and the Rapier, but the ADATS was nonetheless declared the winner in November of 1987.

   However, development of the ADATS was long and troubled, with numerous problems and substantial program costs that were not only significant. Two consecutive GAO reports (AD-A267 344 on December 10th 1990, and NSIAD-91-222 in May of 1991) highlighted a litany of problems that not only jeopardized the program on their own, but were also rapidly escalating. These findings included an MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) of only 9 hours, compared to the Congressionally-mandated qualifier for operational service of 60 hours; a 39% readiness rate, compared to the minimum qualifier of 71%; an average of 1.5 maintenance hours to correct failures, compared to the requirement of no more than 0.62 hours; a maintenance level that exceeded the qualifier by 500%; numerous operational failures of the radar, rangefinder, and optics; mission-critical tests that had been pushed-back by years, or even cancelled entirely; and numerous examples of data manipulation by the US Army.

   These and other problems formed a powder keg that threatened to destroy the entire FAAD program, and the end of the Cold War was effectively the spark that lit that powder. In January of 1992, the ADATS program was formally cancelled, ending 5 years and $5 billion of US government involvement in the project.

   The ADATS program also suffered additional serious setbacks throughout the 1980s and 1990s as it was rejected by several other nations, in favor of more conventional, single-purpose SAM systems. After having sunk more than 1 Billion Swiss Franks into the ADATS program, Oerlikon sold less than 50 launchers to just two nations (see below). The ADATS program was thus as much a failure commercially, as it was operationally.

   The ADATS' launcher could be mounted to a wide variety of chassis' (see below), but the only one it was operationally installed on was the M113A2 Gavin. The M113's mobility is affected by the size and weight of the launcher, but otherwise the qualities of the chassis remain the same. It carries a crew of 3; a track commander, a driver, and a system operator who controls the launcher.

   Protection is 5083 aluminum armor backed by spall liners. This armor is thick enough to defeat small arms fire, shell splinters, blast overpressure, and even 12.7-mm (.50 caliber) machine gun fire over the frontal arc and sides, but is insufficient to defeat automatic cannon fire and most shaped charges. The launcher has less protection, and is vulnerable to 12.7-mm (.50 caliber) ammunition. A collective NBC system allows the ADATS to operate in a contaminated battlefield, but its unwieldiness increases the crew's fatigue.

   The turret for the ADATS is aimed via an electro-optical sight with a FLIR capability. A rotating X-band search radar is mounted at the back end on the roof, and has a detection range against a fighter-sized aircraft of 25 km. A laser rangefinder and laser designator are standard equipment, and are used to range targets and guide the missiles, respectively, and an IFF system is also standard. The launcher traverses 360 degrees, with a full 360 degree slew in about 6 seconds. The elevation and depression are unknown, but are presumably from -10 to +90 degrees. The launcher lacks a secondary weapon, such as a coaxial machine gun.