Codian States
10-02-2005, 17:41
Fritz City, Codian States -- Following a succesful series of tracking tests in recent months, the Codian Ministry of Defense has announced the new HELIS missile defense system to have effectively destroyed ten of twelve rockets and missiles in mid-trajectory..
The twelve test projectiles, armed with live warheads, were launched from ranges of less than two kilometers for the small balistic rockets, to as far away as twenty miles, in the case of the Delano II medium range tactical missile. In all but two cases, the experimental missile interceptor system satisfactorily detected, tracked, and detonated the warheads in mid-air. The two missiles that escaped the laser self-destructed over the Codian Sea.
"These results are incredibly promising" states Gen. Royston Pulitzer of the Codian Ministry of Defense, "considering the nature of the two errant cases." One self-destructed missile was the recently developed and experimental "Stealth Elvis" tactical missile, heralded for its incredibly low radar profile and evasive capabilities. "The fact that the Stealth Elvis got by this radar system not only speaks well of its own stealth technology, but also that we have a direction for improvement for our detection capabilities."
HELIS is the military acronym for High Energy Laser Interceptor System, a land-based missile interceptor with a range of 25 km. Each HELIS unit, once operational, will consist of three components: a state-of-the-art fire control radar, a pointer-tracker, and a high energy laser. Each HELIS unit would be linked to the command center's network, allowing for secondary targeting as the technology and system improve.
The laser is created by combining deuterium and helium with fluorine atoms to generate deuterium-fluoride, which is then extracted by a resonator and transformed into the coherent, monochrome light. This laser, only a few centimeters in diameter, is powerful enough to heat steel at over half a kilometer. The gimbal-mounted pointer-tracker will keep the laser beam focused on the target projectile until the heat causes the warhead to explode, effectively neutralizing the threat by preventing the projectile from reaching its target.
Capable of firing 30 shots before reloading, HELIS would operate at a per-kill cost of around $5,000, making it the Codian Confederacy's most inexpensive and capable airborne projectile defense system. The Codian Military looks to have this system operational in two years.
The twelve test projectiles, armed with live warheads, were launched from ranges of less than two kilometers for the small balistic rockets, to as far away as twenty miles, in the case of the Delano II medium range tactical missile. In all but two cases, the experimental missile interceptor system satisfactorily detected, tracked, and detonated the warheads in mid-air. The two missiles that escaped the laser self-destructed over the Codian Sea.
"These results are incredibly promising" states Gen. Royston Pulitzer of the Codian Ministry of Defense, "considering the nature of the two errant cases." One self-destructed missile was the recently developed and experimental "Stealth Elvis" tactical missile, heralded for its incredibly low radar profile and evasive capabilities. "The fact that the Stealth Elvis got by this radar system not only speaks well of its own stealth technology, but also that we have a direction for improvement for our detection capabilities."
HELIS is the military acronym for High Energy Laser Interceptor System, a land-based missile interceptor with a range of 25 km. Each HELIS unit, once operational, will consist of three components: a state-of-the-art fire control radar, a pointer-tracker, and a high energy laser. Each HELIS unit would be linked to the command center's network, allowing for secondary targeting as the technology and system improve.
The laser is created by combining deuterium and helium with fluorine atoms to generate deuterium-fluoride, which is then extracted by a resonator and transformed into the coherent, monochrome light. This laser, only a few centimeters in diameter, is powerful enough to heat steel at over half a kilometer. The gimbal-mounted pointer-tracker will keep the laser beam focused on the target projectile until the heat causes the warhead to explode, effectively neutralizing the threat by preventing the projectile from reaching its target.
Capable of firing 30 shots before reloading, HELIS would operate at a per-kill cost of around $5,000, making it the Codian Confederacy's most inexpensive and capable airborne projectile defense system. The Codian Military looks to have this system operational in two years.