Oerlikon ADATS

Oerlikon ADATS History

Canada's ADATS ("Air Defense Anti-Tank System") is a late Cold War Western product classified as a Short-Range Air Defense (SHORAD) system for use in and ground space to prevent enemy intrusion elements. The Oerlikon turret (manufactured by Oerlikon Switzerland) is the main component of the ADATS and can be mounted on a tracked or wheeled chassis such as the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) or LAV-25 8x8 Armored combat vehicle (ARV) (the Canadian version uses the M113).

The Canadian Army eventually became the only well-known operator of the ADATS system, and only the country of Thailand joined the foreign sales, and Thailand adopted only one turret as an example of permanent placement.

The U.S. Army once assessed ADATS as part of the Forward Area Air Defense (FAAD) program, but the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s marked the end of that interest.

Likewise, Greece abandoned the former Canadian Army's ADATS vehicles in favor of the ASRAD "Hellas" system from Germany's Rheinmetall.

The Canadian Army entered service in 1989, and early deployments included stationing them in West Germany as part of a NATO air defence force. In addition, these forces had little action in the theater of operations.

Its development and maintenance costs meant it had a short lifespan in the Canadian Army, which quickly retired the line around 2012 and planned a successor.

When completed, ADATS equipped the unmanned turret with missile warheads, with two rows of four missiles arranged around the radar installation. It has an effective range of up to 13 kilometers (8 miles) to air or ground targets, and the airborne radar is reportedly capable of tracking up to 20 targets. These missiles rely on a laser fuze with variable delay to detonate and use a combined fragmentation and shaped charge warhead to penetrate designated 900mm Rolling Homogeneous Armor (RHA) armor.

The missiles are equipped with forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and television guidance.

ADATS systems are manufactured in Zurich (Switzerland) and Quebec (Canada). The Canadian model built on the M113 hull retains the Detroit Diesel 6-cylinder 212-horsepower diesel engine, delivering a road speed of nearly 35 mph. The range is up to 400 kilometers. Off-road trips are aided by a torsion bar suspension system, and the basic crew consists of three people - driver, conductor and system operator.

A large power ramp at the rear of the fuselage provides clear access for the crew.

Attempt to modernize the ADATS product line with MMEVs (Multi-Mission Effect Vehicles) that promise better system performance - especially accuracy. The chassis of choice should be the LAV-III (or similar 8x8 wheeled vehicle).

Other features touted as an improved design include a long-range non-line-of-sight (NLOS) anti-tank missile (ATGM), a 3D radar system and infrared sights. Originally planned to go live in 2010, the program failed in 2007 and helped bring ADATS to its demise.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

8 x Oerlikon Aerospace dual-purpose anti-aircraft/anti-tank missiles.

Changes