Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

Following deep consideration of the various proposals, the Strategic Defence Agency and the Defence Procurement Administration have chosen Harrington Dynamics and Hemlock-Rogway to lead projects in enhancing air defence capabilities within their respective domains. On the success of enhancements to the GUARDIAN ground-based air and ballistic missile defence system, the Strategic Defence Agency had long contemplated further enhancements to its ballistic missile defence network. Although the GUARDIAN system has been limited to short and medium-range ballistic missile threats, there is nonetheless a need for the agency to negate the nation’s vulnerability to intermediate-range ballistic missiles. This challenge also sits alongside a major vulnerability present for the Lodamese Navy and Marine Corps in particular. The Conventional Missile-6, although the backbone of the navy’s response to ballistic missile threats, is largely handicapped by the fact that it is not capable of following the Marine Corps into their more ‘in-land’ deployments as they are presently only capable of being fired by VLS’ (vertical launch systems) aboard Lodamese Navy ships. This ultimately forces the Marine Corps to depend on the Lodamese Army and the Commonwealth Guard to either ‘loan’ the services GUARDIAN batteries or deploy alongside them. The most recent defence review highlighted this dynamic as particularly troubling, recognising the independent and expeditionary Marine Corps’ inherent vulnerability at being almost wholly dependent on a separate branch for a capability have ought to be within reach. It is this issue when coupled, that acted as a motivator for the SDA and the DPA to issue new requests for proposals for air and ballistic missile defence systems, albeit with differing requirements.

The SDA has long underscored the importance of being able to destroy ballistic missiles either in their terminal phase, where it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere and descends toward its target, or their midcourse phase, where the missile travels through space outside the Earth's atmosphere. The rationale behind seeking to destroy these weapons in these phases comes into its own when one recognises that these phases provide the agency with the ability to maximise interception opportunities. Intercepting ballistic missiles in their midcourse provides for the weapons to be neutralized/destroyed earlier whilst leaving ample room for follow-up interceptions. Interceptions in the terminal phase are more riskier, considering there is a limited window through which interceptors can comfortably operate. Defence experts have noted that midcourse interceptors would likely be possible through ground-based anti-ballistic missiles. “The midcourse phase occurs in the exoatmosphere. Thus, any system seeking to destroy ballistic missiles in this phase would have to have the range needed to meet said missiles in the outer atmosphere. The range is only attainable via a boost vehicle, the likes that the LSA (Lodamese Space Administration) use to launch small satellites into orbit,” Ronald Chase, a Senior Analyst of the Centre for Geostrategic Policy and Research, explained. Harrington Dynamics’ winning proposal relates to a terminal phase interceptor, which would intercept ballistic missile threats in the much riskier terminal phase. “When a factor in saturation attacks, which seems to be the direction many nations fielding ballistic missiles are going, a successful interception in the terminal phase becomes extremely important. Our proposal underscores the need for Lodamun to have the capacity to destroy threats in this crucial phase,” A senior marketing official from Harrington Dynamics explained.

The DPA, which acts as the agent for the Lodamese Navy and Marine Corps, mandated that proposals under their program be capable of being deployed to any theatre with ease. It noted that although the branches were not searching for a replacement to the GUARDIAN defence system, it was nonetheless looking for a platform whereby the CM-6 and potentially a cruise missile could be launched further inland. Hemlock-Rogway’s proposal outlines a containerized solution to the branches’ novel interceptor and launcher issue. According to a brochure sourced from the company, the Talon ELS (Expeditionary Launch System), takes lessons from the vertical launch systems currently in operation on numerous classes of ships throughout the world, including Lodamun, and envisions the platform as a VLS launcher essentially ‘stuffed’ into a container and accompanied by other pieces of the system’s infrastructure including radar. Hemlock-Rogway noted that a containerized solution had been chosen given that a container can be virtually deployed anywhere. It can be deployed on a vessel, transported further inland via truck or by air, essentially giving the platform the extreme mobility needed for an expeditionary force such as the Lodamese Marine Corps. Work on both projects is expected to begin soon alongside testing.