Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

Hemlock-Rogway, Carthorn report headways in missile interceptor development

As Hemlock-Rogway seeks to prove the lethality of its containerised missile defence solution to the Lodamese Army and Marine Corps, Carthorn tests a crucial component of the High Altitude Interceptor in preparation for adoption by the Strategic Defence Agency.

ⓘ: A video demonstrating the capabilities of the DACS being integrated into the HAI's hit-to-kill missile

For Hemlock-Rogway, the development and hopeful deployment of the Talon ELS (Expeditionary Launch System) represents the single most significant advancement in aerospace defence since the revitalisation of the GUARDIAN programme to enhance the nation’s ageing air defence batteries. Aside from potentially providing both the Lodamese Navy and Marine Corps with near-unparalleled flexibility in responding to new, emerging threats in other contested environments, the company believes that its developments connected to the ELS have “pushed the boundary” on deployed weapons. Under supervision from the Lodamese Army and Marine Corps, Hemlock-Rogway conducted its first major live fire test of the ELS, wherein the system successfully destroyed an airborne target from an advanced distance. According to statements from a spokesperson from the company, the live-fire exercise had been the first successful test in a series of ‘ongoing’ trials of the system’s basic combat suite. This basic combat suite, particularly different from the conventional systems currently in operation/use by the Lodamese Armed Forces, does not possess its own radar component but is entirely dependent on the capabilities of the weapons employed by the system itself. “Our recent live fire test marks an important milestone in demonstrating the operational viability of the Talon ELS,” Franklin O'Neal, Hemlock-Rogway’s spokesperson, said, adding that the result would ultimately aid in enhancing the system’s capabilities moving forward. “This is the first of many tests to determine whether the system, in its entirety, is capable of handling those threats that are needed the most.”

The test, which had been conducted at the Maidsend-Esney Proving Grounds in Millford, sought to determine whether the CM-6 (conventional missile-6), launched from the system, would be capable of defending against medium-range targets. As mentioned prior, in the absence of a separate radar platform similar to GUARDIAN and the HAI, the ELS primarily depends on the active homing radar inherent to the CM-6. O’Neal noted that although the system would likely have to be aided by other systems, notably AWACS with respect to target identification, all actions from launch to hopeful destruction would be primarily handled by the missile itself. It ought to be noted that the CM-6 is not new to the Lodamese Armed Forces, as it has an extensive history of service within the Lodamese Navy in particular. Of its notable deployments, the missile was used to destroy a rogue rocket and had been temporarily used in testing for the GUARDIAN system during short-range interception tests. “Our concerns in these tests are not related to the CM-6. It is a proven missile with significant service and trust behind it. Our concerns primarily relate to the platform itself, that being the containerised VLS launcher which forms the basis of the ELS,” O’Neal said. The test reportedly involved a target drone which had been flying in various patterns at an advanced distance, with datalink provided by an AWACS aircraft which had been vectored within range of the proving grounds for the test itself. Via a data-link, the system was capable of building a firing solution for the drone within the space of a minute, wherein the missile was fired, and the drone was subsequently destroyed some three to four minutes after. “The missile performed as expected; what I believe is different was the fact that we are beginning to prove that this containerised system can provide as much lethality as shipborne batteries.”

At the Venfield Space Flight Centre, critical progress is reportedly being made on the High Altitude Interceptor (HAI), as engineers have conducted a series of controlled tests of the interceptor’s Divert and Attitude Control System (DACS). The DACS, a core component of the interceptor’s guidance mechanism, is designed to provide rapid, precise manoeuvring in the final moments of the interceptor’s lifespan before interception, allowing the vehicle to correct its trajectory against agile or evasive targets. According to programme officials, the Venfield tests primarily focused on validating the responsiveness of the DACS’ thruster array under various simulated conditions, including if one of the vehicle’s numerous engines were to suddenly fail. “These tests are about getting to know whether the interceptor can think and adapt to unexpected changes. It doesn’t mean that this is driven by some sort of artificial intelligence machine; it’s simply to determine whether the vehicle’s mechanically automated processes are working as intended,” Colonel Mara Hensley, the Lodamese Army’s lead technical representative on the HAI programme, said. Carthorn engineers involved in the testing noted that the recent runs demonstrated measurable improvements over earlier prototypes, particularly in the fact that the vehicle’s thrust vectoring demonstrated consistency. Data collected during the tests indicated that the DACS was able to execute multiple divert manoeuvres while maintaining both a fix on the hypothetical target and stable attitude control, a requirement seen as essential, given that the system, once fully operational, would be placed against certain classes of ballistic and potentially hypersonic threats. Ronald Harmon, Chief Propulsion Engineer for the HAI programme and a former propulsion engineer for the Lodamese Space Administration, described the results as “significant”, as he noted that the incremental gains would eventually transform the system into a complete and efficient interceptor. “I think what we need to come to terms with is the fact that these incremental steps are what are going to transform the programme into something to be rivalled by our competitors and adversaries. Although we are operating well within the time-frame granted by the SDA (Strategic Defence Agency), we nonetheless recognise that it is important to “slow down” and let these small steps turn into much larger leaps forward,” Harmon explained.