Lyras
24-09-2008, 12:16
LY7/222 King Shepherd anti-aircraft system – Protectorate of Lyras
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb62/2821090/LY7-222KingShepherd-desertcam.png
Key Data
Crew: 3 (Driver, Commander, Gunner)
Dimensions
Length (not including cannons): 7.2m
Height: 3.9m
Width: 3.2m
Weight: 58 tonnes
Ground Clearance: Variable due to suspension adjustability. Default at 50cm
Performance
Maximum (Governed) Speed: 80 kph (50mph)
Cross Country Speed: 64 kph (40mph)
Speed, 10% slope: 33 kph
Speed, 60% slope: 17 kph
Acceleration: 0kph to 32 kph in 7.8 seconds
Range: 605 km (480 km at operational cruising speed)
Manoeuvrability
Vertical Obstacle Crossing: 104cm
Trench: 290cm
Suspension: Hydropneumatic
Armament
4 x KWF PAK2 25mm automatic cannons, (1600 rnds)
SALY28 Surface-to-air missiles (16)
Power
Propulsion: Modular – default powerplant 40L LY665 V10 multi-fuel propane-injected twin-turbo diesel 1600 HP at 2500RPM
Transmission: Hydropneumatic automatic transmission (5 fwd gears, 2 rvse)
Power-to-Weight Ratio: ~27.5hp/ton (weight and power variable depending on configuration)
APU: 2 (underarmour)
Armour and Protection
Armour: Highly modularised. Base includes IRHA, titanium-ceramic, 4th Generation Composite.
NBC Protection: SCFM, clean cooled air, LYMkII CBRN overpressure system.
Missile Countermeasures: Modular. Standard options include WATCHKEEPER, GOLIATH. Other APS also compatible.
Background
For just shy of a decade, the LY220 Shepherd, employed primarily in conjunction with the LY219 Ironheart, has provided the mainstay of the Lyran Protectorate's mobile anti-aircraft defence. The system has proven itself adaptable, effective, easily supportable and possessed of a high readiness state. Difficulties were encountered, however, when Shepherds found themselves under direct fire, with the LY219 chassis being vulnerable to medium-calibre AP weapons.
The existing LY4 chassis did not readily lend itself to extensive modification of its turret, and thus the issue was shelved, the resources of the LY220 conversion program being re-allocated towards the then-still-in-development LY471 Skyguard system.
The advent of the LY7, however, opened up a new potential avenue of research and development, one which the Protectorate Research and Development Commission seized with both hands, with investigation into the concept being entered into even before the first LY7 chassis rolled off the production lines.
The LY7's focus on modularity, and its lightweight base design, lent itself well to the adjustment to an air-defence role, it was thought, and initial examinations of the idea being even more promising than first expected. The lack of significant access between the crew compartment and turret actually made things easier, given the predominantly automated nature of the weapons systems of the Shepherd system, and the chassis' considerably higher weight bearing capacity enabled significantly greater armament loadout and ammunition carriage.
While superficially similar to the LY220 Shepherd, especially in profile, the new system carried 25% more missiles, and twice as many automatic cannons, increasing the platform's combat endurance considerably, to the point where it was no longer considered to be the same as the LY220 Shepherd. The new turret was designated the LY222, and the new vehicle was dubbed the LY7/222 King Shepherd. While little-to-nothing of the LY7's low-profile silhouette remained, this was considered a very low priority relative to the performance of the primary offensive systems.
The LY7/222 currently serves the Protectorate in just over three hundred divisions, with that number increasing at the rate of several hundred divisions per year. The LY7/222 also serves alongside its LY219/220 ancestors in some formations.
Armament
The LY7/222 carries 16 SALY28 short-to-medium range surface-to-air missiles, which form the primary AA armament. The missiles have a bicalibre body in tandem configuration, separable smokeless booster and sustainer with separation mechanism. The sustainer contains the warhead and contact and proximity fuses.
The SALY28, when used in the SAM role, features semi-active radar homing, which can switch to active if the signal from the firing or illuminating vehicle is interrupted. Further, SALY28, as with many missiles, is also designed to switch between radar detection and home-on-jamming as circumstances require. The inbuilt computer has the additional option of using infra-red tracking in the terminal stages of the flight envelope.
While in LOS to the firing vehicle, the SALY28 may be given the abort command, which will self-destruct the missile, in the advent of a misfire or misidentified target.
Range: 1000m – 15,000m
Altitude: 3000m – 9000m
Guidance: SARH, ARH, IR, HoJ
Weight with container: 95kg
Launch weight: 70kg
Container diameter: 180mm
Length in container: 3.4m
Warhead type: Fragmentation rod
Warhead weight: 18kg
Maximum speed: 1,150m/sec
Time of flight to 10km range: 14 seconds
In addition to the SALY28 missile system, the King Shepherd mounts four KWF PAK2 25 mm automatic cannons, with 1600 rounds of a variety of ammunition. Maximum (combined) rate of fire is 800 rounds per minute.
The PAK2 can destroy lightly armoured vehicles and aerial targets (such as helicopters and slow-flying aircraft). It can also suppress enemy positions such as exposed troops, dug-in positions, and occupied built-up areas.
This chain-driven weapon system uses sprockets and extractor grooves to actively feed, load, fire, extract, and eject rounds. A system of clutches provides for the use of alternates thus allowing the gunner to switch between armour piercing, high explosive and high explosive incendiary rounds, as well as manually selecting the rate of fire.
It has a rating of 31,000 mean rounds between stoppage (MRBS), which is much higher than many comparable devices.
Cartridge; 25mm x 216mm
Operation: chain gun (1.5hp)
Feeds: Disintegrating link belt
Weight: 115kg
Length: 2.25m
Muzzle velocity; 1200m/s
ROF: Cyclic 200 +/- 25 RPM
Max effective range against ground targets; 2200m
Max effective range against aerial targets (theoretical); 6800m
Propulsion and mobility
The King Shepherd borrows from the base LY7 modularity, by its flexible position with regards to engines. Capable of accepting an extremely wide variety of engines, as long as they are able to generate electrical power, the LY7/222 follows the LY7-series' new benchmark in force sustainment and domestic integration of non-indigenous components.
The armoured engine bay is designed for easy access and expedient removal, which also flows on to notably easier maintenance, and the platform's flexibility enables any given battleforce to continue, if desired, its extant logistics practices with the aim of greatly enhanced battleforce sustainment.
The LY7-series, borrowing from features first demonstrated on the LY219 and later on the LY6, uses an electric transmission system, where the drive shafts have been replaced by cable and the power from the engines is transferred by cable throughput, which delivers a number of advantages, including volume efficiency, very high fuel efficiency (essential to make the engine viable, in this case), reduced lifecycle costs, and reduced environmental impacts.
The electric drive has also greatly improved low observability characteristics in terms of thermal and acoustic signatures as well as low visual and radar signatures.
Borrowing again from the LY219, and LY6 Werewolf, the LY7-series' suspension is mounted on the underframe and not on the side frames, so the suspension is separated from the hull. A result of using a decoupled suspension in conjunction with the spall liners is that the internal noise level is as low as 75dB which is well below civilian vehicle noise acceptability standards, and 4dB below the previously benchmark LY6, the difference due to the LY7-series chassis being 38 tonnes lighter.
The engine, whatever it may be, is further decoupled from the final drives allowing flexibility in the placing of systems in the vehicle and also easily allows two smaller engines to be installed instead of one, should smaller engines be preferred for export purposes. Batteries are integrated into the electric drive system, which when considered in combination with the suspension, allow the vehicle to be driven near-silently for several hours with the engines shut down, a factor very likely to increase psychological strain on forces fighting against it in close terrain or poor visibilty.
The final drives are connected by a cross-shaft which gives higher power efficiency in turning manoeuvres by transferring the power regenerated at the inner track during a turn to the outer track.
Any engine fitted will, like its predecessors (bar the LY663), be linked to the Cromwell system, which keeps track of the temperatures of each individual segment of the engine, and both monitors and records engine stresses. The system then notifies both the operators and higher command when replacement or repair is required for components, as well as when the engine or parts of it are coming due for routine maintenance. This contributes to greatly reduced attrition, and total combat readiness is markedly improved as a result, while lowering maintenance workloads. The Cromwell system is also responsible for monitoring the active cooling of the vehicle's exhaust, as a means of reducing the vehicle's already low thermal signature, further enhancing the vehicle's low observability characteristics.
The entire assembly is, as per existing Lyran and TPF-standards, also fitted with deployable sand filters for use in high-sand environments, such as deserts or certain parts of the littoral.
As is also the standard with Lyran armoured vehicles, and now has been for some time, the King Shepherd is fitted with rear-vision cameras for manoeuvering in close country or urban environments, a factor which, in other vehicles, has prevented a tremendous number of accidents and eased the psychological load on personnel responsible for moving the vehicles in less-than-optimal conditions.
Tracks are shrouded as standard to increase resilience to battle damage, and have seven road wheels and two drive rollers, with only the forward roller on each side partially unshrouded.
Networking, integration, electronics and fire control
As with all Lyran designed vehicles, the King Shepherd is designed to integrate seemlessly and easily into the most sophisticated of military forces. The vehicle is fitted with a highly extensive sensor suite so as to enable the transmission of as much information as possible into any extant battlenet, while possessing internal computational facilities so as to handle required downloads from it.
While designed to slot into any existing battlespace architecture, the LY7/222 by default utilises the world-benchmark Cromwell II. Cromwell II is an integrated and adaptive battlespace network that maximises combat lethality, performance, and output and enables command and control on an unprecedented scale. Information is sourced not only from multiple sources on the individual platform, but from every Cromwell II equipped friendly vehicle within the battlespace, which provides constant informational updates across a broad spectrum of sources, both known to the operators, and operating below their awareness.
The Cromwell II system utilises this information to compute a firing solution for the relevant weapon system, based upon analysis of the target beneath the reticle. This is achieved in less time than it would take the operator to depress the firing stud. The firing solution that Cromwell II generates ensures a near-perfect hit percent at standard ranges, across all conditions.
At the most basic level, the Cromwell II system aims to accelerate engagement cycles and increase operational tempo at all levels of the warfighting system. This acceleration is achieved by providing a mechanism to rapidly gather and distribute targeting information, and rapidly issue directives. Cromwell II's ultra-high speed networking permits error-free, high integrity transmission in a bare fraction of the time required for voice-based transmission, and permits transfer of a wide range of data formats, from a multitude of compatible sources.
Borrowing from fire control measures designed by the Koreans for the K2 Black Panther, Lyran Arms and the Varessan Commonwealth's VMRDB developed a built-in trigger-delay mechanism. Other contemporary tanks, up to and including the LY4A1 (to be rectified in the in-development LY4A2), but not including the K2, can be found to, despite all other fire control methods, miss their target when they fire their gun and hit a slight bump at the same time, a problem exacerbated, as would be expected, by movement at high speeds and/or across uneven terrain. The designers of the K2 anticipated this situation, and generated a solution for it by installing a laser emitter-receiver assembly linked to the FCS, a concept that has been brought across for implementation in offensive systems, whatever those offensive systems may be, on the LY7-series.
In case of an emergency, the vehicle can be operated by only two, or even a single, member of its three crew. The FCS can autonomously locate and track visible, sensory or data-link acquired targets, comparing them both to known hostiles (identified by datalink) or targets established by image recognition (again as available via information uplink), avoid blue-on-blue engagements and fire its systems without needing any input from a human operator, although the absence of a human operator will adversely affect engagement tempo.
The LY7-series crew-stations, on Lyran and Lyran-allied vehicles only, utilise a far more advanced and adaptive control interface than standard, by displaying sensor data from the vehicle's external sensors directly onto the HUD inside the crew's headset-visor. As the crewman turns his head, the view pans, and either physical or voice activated controls are then used as required. By way of example, the crew commander may look left, with the weapon mounted on the commander's weapon station following his movement (if the function is activated). As required, the commander simply has to look at the target, and press the firing stud. Alternatively, he could look at a target, and designate it for engagement by either voice command or toggle. Targets can be sequenced for engagement, and the operators may target and fire in a similar manner using any of the platform's offensive systems. The gunner's station is identical to, and interchangeable with, the commander's, and either can take on additional roles if the situation requires. This feature is only available to LY7s in Lyran or allied service. When used in conjunction with Cromwell II, and the fast-traversing turret, the engagement speeds of the LY7-series are almost twice as fast as any previously designed Lyran vehicle – a crucial element to AFV survivability, and responsiveness.
The King Shepherd, like its LY220 ancestor, uses the AN/MPQ-77 Vigilant radar system. The Vigilant is a three-dimensional radar used to alert and queue Short-to-Medium Range Air Defense (STMRAD- pronounced “stem-rad”) weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching front line forces. The Vigilant radar is deployed with forward area air defense units across all branches of the Lyran Protectorate Military, and also forms the primary air search and air defence radar on Battleaxe-class cruisers.
The radar uses an X-band, range-gated, pulse-doppler system. The antennae use phase-frequency electronic scanning technology, forming sharp 3D pencil beams covering large surveillance and track volume. The radar automatically detects, tracks, classifies, identifies and reports targets, including cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. It uses a high scan rate (40 RPM), is frequency agile, and operates at a range of 52 km. The radar is designed to incorporate extremely high resistance to electronic countermeasures (ECM), performs target acquisition, confirmation, tracking and identification.
A developed on the LY6 series, and subsequently retrofitted to all Lyran-operated AFVs, the electrics of the LY7-series, more specifically the circuitry, are composed of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), rendering the vehicle proof against electromagnetic interference or EMP-based attack, although the GaAs is itself a highly expensive addition. It was quickly reasoned, however, that when operating in an environment which may include anti-strategic platforms such as the LY4032 “Rampart”, the chances of the platform encountering high levels of electromagnetic interference goes up dramatically, and the dangers this presents far outweigh the relatively modest (though expensive in absolute terms) cost of the implementation of GaAs components.
Armour
The King Shepherd features an armour scheme based very heavily, as would be expected, on its LY7 predecessor. There are a significant number of differences, however, primarily focused around the downgrading of the armour scheme, due to the platform's intended role as an indirect fire-support unit, rather than an MBT. The armour is still proof against 30mm rounds, but is no longer intended to provide defence against hostile armoured units. All weapons are capable of operating in a direct fire capacity, however, making the platform far from helpless if engaged by enemy units.
As with the base LY7, the King Shepherd is structurally steel, but the vast majority of the armour of the chassis is titanium, which in general terms offers considerably higher protection per unit of weight. Given the premium placed on weight within the LY7, and even more so on the LY7/366, titanium was exceptionally attractive. The LY7 production runs have already pushed the price of titanium per-unit down a considerable distance, and the use of the material on the King Shepherd is expected to continue the trend.
The primary external armour is titanium-chobham, a form of composite armour composed of multiple layers of titanium and ceramic. The titanium plates hold the ceramic in position and the ceramic maintains its resistance to shock even when fragmented, as long as it remains held together. Explosive reactive armour is fitted as standard (though is often removed as superfluous) to the turret and major hull areas. Fireproof armoured bulkheads seperate the crew compartment from the engine bay, which itself forms part of the forward passive protection suite.
Fuel and ammunition are located within armoured sub-compartments with integral anti-spalling layers, and those self-same antispalling systems are also used to protect the internals of the crew compartment. The spall lining is also designed to provide a high degree of noise and thermal insulation, making the King Shepherd, like its LY7-series predecessors, extremely quiet for its operators, analagous (to the operators), to noise levels experienced while driving in a civilian vehicle.
Unlike the LY7, the LY7/222 is not expected to utilise the extensive modular armour capabilities afforded by the chassis. The function remains, however, and will thus be detailed.
Due to the LY7's emphasis on applique armour as a means of providing variable levels of protection, appropriate to threat level and weight restrictions, the LY7/222 retains the ability to field a whole host of after-armour packages. Extensive use of heavy explosive reactive armour on multiple surfaces, or non-explosive reactive armour if operating in close-proximity to infantry, and each of varying types, is entirely feasible. The vehicle's heavy use of titanium (especially on the sides and rear, where surfaces generally have the least slope) to keep weight to an absolute minimum while not sacrificing protection, and allowing for easy operator up-armouring is calculated as part of its standard operating circumstances. It is expected that, as new or more effective forms of modular armour are developed, users will be easily able to integrate the packages into the chassis with a bare minimum of effort.
Internal spalling layers are, by default, kevlar, a long-accepted international standard in the field. Should additional protection be sought, the kevlar can be removed and replaced with any number of materials, of which steltexolites of a variety of forms are popular choices. Steltexolites have been traditionally chosen by Lyras, due to its greater resilience to KE and HE based armour piercing AT weapons than kevlar.
Now, however, another option has become available for the anti-spalling layer, to those states eligible to acquire the North Point A1 armour upgrade to the LY7. Derived from research undertaken in conjunction with the 'Dauntless' body armour project, Lyran vehicles utilise anciniform spider silk as anti-spalling protection.
Once threads are manufactured, the silk is woven in the same manner as fibrous material anywhere. The fibres mesh well, and fibrous internal friction is low while elasticity and tensile strength both remain very high, allowing for exceptionally good resistance, particularly so when compared to other similar substances, such as aramids. The fibres, unusually, become proportionally stronger as they get thinner, and research and implementation quickly established what spiders established millions of years ago, that weaving 100 thin fibres into a silken strand is almost 60% stronger than an equivalent width single strand, while utilising (approximately) only 80% of the material mass. Also, critically, spider silk has a biphasic modulus – when initially subjected to force it is very stiff, like Kevlar, but just before the yield point it becomes very elastic. It also undergoes hysteresis, so if released from tension it comes back into shape.
In essence, while offering only slightly improved protection-to-weight ratios than kevlar, anciniform spider silk is dramatically thinner, allowing notably more material to be packed into the same space. As a consequence, while the protection per unit weight may be similar to kevlar, the protection per unit volume is considerably higher, and it is this consideration that lead to its adoption as anti-spalling on most Lyran vehicles, at the cost of an additional 400kg of weight. Again, this option is modular, and some units do not utilise it.
Signature Reduction
A great number of active and passive signature reduction methods have been implemented in the LY7, making it the AFV with the lowest detection footprint of any yet produced by the Lyran Protectorate. The LY7/222 maintains these signature reduction techniques, which are employed to minimise detectability by radar, infra-red, direct line-of-sight visibility and acoustic means.
The first method by which the detection signature is reduced is through use of the Lyran-designed and manufactured 'Warshroud' advanced multi-spectral camouflage netting system. Based heavily on the Ukrainian 'Kontrast', 'Warshroud' dramatically reduces the detection ranges against known radar, infra-red and visible-band methods. The 'Kontrast' system was developed at the Institute of Automated Systems in late 2002, and was designed to address a notable and growing problem. High-potency modern weapons are able to engage ground vehicles at any angle, from great ranges, by day or by night, irrespective of weather, and with a potency that was becoming increasingly difficult to counter. The Institute's researchers faced a real challenge and, moreover, it was decided to develop a single solution, one that would take into account all noted factors and be implemented within the weight and size limitations.
In approaching this task specialists at the Institute of Automated Systems decided to proceed from the key idea behind the design of high precision weapons. High-precision, high-lethality systems universally require integration with means of detection, which of necessity requires the design of sensor sets and target locators, and the implementation of effective scanning capabilities across several adjacent or near-adjacent visible and invisible spectra, including visible light, close and long infra-red waves, and laser scans(in the infrared, millimeter and centimeter wave bands).
The developers of Kontrast took an ordinary camouflage net as the base and, utilising the latest technological innovations, turned it into a new generation signature-reduction product to combat the sophistication of modern radar systems and other contemporary military reconnaissance means. The result was the development of a surprisingly effective solution.
Developed countries traditionally have utilised a wide variety of signature reduction technologies, many of which include various after-manufacture coatings. The technical requirements of such coating are very high - their reflection capacity must be below 20 dB in a wide range of bands. This factor forced the Ukrainian – and later Lyran – research teams to examine new physical methods for reducing or amplifying reflection of radar waves to achieve effective electromagnetic concealment. With this goal in mind, the 'Kontrast' developers tried to find materials with absorptive and reflective characteristics for attenuating and amplifying electromagnetic waves. Experiments generated a series of composite materials with superb characteristics for greatly diminishing the wave reflection contrast between the protected object and its background.
'Kontrast' simultaneously employed both absorption and targetted reflection of electromagnetic waves. The array of material used within the netting the product, each of which featured at least one of the said qualities, allowed protection from a great range of known target location means. 'Kontrast' tests have repeatedly shown its superiority across a wide range of battlefield conditions to analogues from Sweden and Britain, whether the concealed unit is moving or stationary.
'Warshroud' built on 'Kontrast' by the integration of signature reduction techniques in the IR spectrum pioneered by the LDPCU multi-spectral camouflage. The resultant product takes nearly twice as long to produce, due to the difficulty in applying a coating (which had been done away with under 'Kontrast') to the camouflage netting. Attempts are being made to shorten the 'Warshroud' manufacturing process, but it is somewhat of a moot point. Production as it stands is more than capable of keeping up with the manufacture of the vehicles utilising 'Warshroud'. 'Warshroud''s visible suppression includes, as with most camouflage nets, terrain-appropriate textile strips, soaked in a dielectric polymer that can absorb and scatter electromagnetic waves. The textile pieces are made of non-reactive, radar transparent fabric.
In 2002, tests run using 'Kontrast' on a T-84 determined that the ability of hostile weapons to lock onto a vehicle dropped nine-fold compared to an unshrouded vehicle. It was further established that T-84 MBTs fielding 'Kontrast' dropped out of visibility range of viewing devices at distances over and including 500m.
'Warshroud' builds on this, with additional substantial reduction in detectability of targets in infra-red, radio-thermal and radio wave bands. Improvements in synthetic and parasynthetic textiles have also reduced the inherent radar return in the material which binds the net together, along all detection envelopes.
'Warshroud' has repeatedly demonstrated excellent resistance to various external factors while keeping its camouflaging characteristics intact – a factor very quickly determined to be a critical capability of the system. Tests had tanks equipped with a 'Warshroud' run at their tops speeds in off-road conditions, in woods and deserts, while similarly equipped IFVs conducted amphibious landings. In all cases, the signature reduction capabilities of the equipment were unreduced to any appreciable degree. All elements of 'Warshroud' are resistant to fuels, lubricants (gasoline, diesel fuel, lube oil) and detergents. Furthermore, spinning off from research conducted into the LDPCU once again, the shroud is made of self-extinguishing materials, ensuring that flames cease to burn free of subsequent glowing, once the fire source is removed.
'Warshroud' itself consists of a number of modular components that can be put together to create a masking surface of any size and shape, with colors matching any field environment in any season.
It is currently expected that existing AFV stocks will be retrospectively fitted with 'Warshroud', as a means of contributing to the ongoing attempts to reduce detection footprints across all relevant bands.
The second primary means of signature reduction is focused on the engine and drive systems of the vehicle. While already alluded to above in the analysis of the platform's propulsion and mobility, relevant points will be reiterated here for ease of reference.
The electric drive differs from conventional AFV drive system arrangements by utilising a hybrid powerplant. This essentially means that the engine generates electric power which in turn powers the batteries which propel the vehicle. The electric drive, has, importantly, implemented a suite of features designed to mitigate its detectability, both acoustically and thermally. Moreover, the presence of dual APUs and the primary and secondary battery banks allow the vehicle to be driven for several hours with the main engines off, which pushes the sound generated to below that of a conventional civilian motor vehicle.
As with a number of earlier marks of AFV, the King Shepherd's decoupled suspension is seperated from the hull, and similarly seperated from the final section which turns the drive wheels, a factor which considerably lowers audibility in itself.
Acoustically, the vehicle is phenomenally quiet in most circumstaces, and preliminary manoeuvers conducted with early Lyran vehicles have demonstrated the potential that this low-observability can manifest, providing a tremendous advantage in low-visibility scenarios, by day or by night.
By utilising the Cromwell system to actively monitor the engine and propulsion systems, the crew are able to remain constantly aware of the amount of noise being generated, and also the amount of heat being radiated. Furthermore, as indicated in the propulsion and mobility section, the King Shepherd, as with both its LY7 ancestor and the LY6 Werewolf, utilises active cooling of its own exhaust, a further means of suppressing thermal and infra-red signature. When this is taken in conjunction with 'Warshroud', the thermal and IR footprint of the LY7/222 is a bare fraction of what its weight and power would suggest.
Crew amenities
It has been a well-known fact in most militaries that well-rested and alert soldiers with a high morale and a high degree of confidence in themselves and their equipment will perform faster, more effectively and with fewer avoidable errors than those who fall short in any of the above categories. To that end, for a number of years Lyran vehicles have put a strong emphasis on designing and manufacturing hardware that can effectively cater for the comfort needs of personnel that fight from that hardware.
To that end, Lyran vehicles from the LY4 onwards featured crew amenities designed to optimise performance of personnel and maintain morale. This, in the King Shepherd, manifests in a number of ways.
The King Shepherd fields the commonplace hot and cold water drink point, which provides hot water, cold water, and with two further compartments that can be filled with hot or cold drinks of the crew or unit's choice. As well as being morale boosting, hot water in particular can be of direct military value, with it being used to brew tea or coffee, produce other hot beverages and, most importantly, it is used for dehydrated ration packs common to many armies and armed services.
Situated immediately below the drink point is a small bar fridge, which can either carry spare rations, 'jack' rations, or approximately two cases of soft-drinks or equivalent.
The NBC system follows Lyran standard, and features quite adequately as a climate control system, making for working temperatures easily adjustable to every national or personal need (operating temperature range -40C to 55C). The NBC system on the King Shepherd, however, can be removed and/or replaced with alternate systems, should the operating entity so desire.
Seat warmers/coolers are also fitted, to ensure greater comfort and optimise combat endurance and deployability of both crew and personnel being transported. The seats can also be adjusted, manually or electronically, to ensure optimum comfort and control access for any shape or size.
The LY7-series pioneered the provision of a small toilet located to the rear, on the left of the main door. This addresses a major stressor identified to continuous closed-down armoured operations – the requirement to urinate. Personnel can be in combat situations or near-combat situations for days at a time, and while sleep is also in short supply, other body requirements, generally speaking, cannot be put off that long. Thus, given the LY7's emphasis on operational and strategic mobility, the vehicle was designed with a latrine in mind, and the King Shepherd happily utilises this development. While limited in capacity, the system allows the vehicle, and thus its unit, to continuously manoeuver or remain under armour for far longer than would otherwise be expected.
LY7/222s, as with their predecessors employ, as standard, with integral high-speed wireless (satellite) broadband internet connections, allowing the crew to surf the internet, check their emails, or correspond with family. It is worth noting, however, that personnel surfing the net while on the move or on duty is to be strongly discouraged, and some tank commanders within LY4 and LY6 units have taken to locking the system, such that only they can allow access, an adjustment that has met with great success. The provision of insulated external connections allows accompanying or transported personnel to simply plug in to the side of the vehicle, and then they to can go online. Vehicles with this feature, at this point approximately 80% of the Lyran arsenal, are invariably popular with the units that field them, or are attached to them, as they not only ensure vastly improved fire support, but also mean that personnel are going to get, hot (or cold) drinks, snacks and a way to talk to home, all of which ensures dramatically higher morale and the notably higher performance that such morale generates.
Export
The LY7/222 King Shepherd is Lyras' solution to the requirement for provision of effective, sustainable, robust and high pK organic tactical air defence. Designed to integrate effortlessly with the most modern of fighting forces, the King Shepherd's capabilities are nevertheless formidable regardless of the effectiveness of supporting elements. Capable of high-speed engagement against all forms of aerial targets, and comfortably able to be utilised in direct fire roles, the King Shepherd is welcome support to all combat arms, wherever it is found. Whatever the nature of the military force, the LY7/222 can slide seemlessly into it, adapting and responding to best meet the operator's requirements in responsive, accurate firepower.
Upon purchase of an LY7/222, the purchaser is entitled to the following, in addition;
DPR to the PAK2 25mm automatic cannon, for use with that vehicle only.
DPR to the SALY28 S/MR SAM, for use with that vehicle only.
DPR to stocks, spare parts, ammunition and resupply examples of the above, to maintain suitable reserves and hardware redundancy, for use with the LY7/222 King Shepherd series only.
Each LY7/222 is available from Lyran Arms (“http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=541320”), at a total cost per unit of NS$18m.
To states so authorised, DPRs to the LY7/222 King Shepherd are available at NS$70bn.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb62/2821090/LY7-222KingShepherd-desertcam.png
Key Data
Crew: 3 (Driver, Commander, Gunner)
Dimensions
Length (not including cannons): 7.2m
Height: 3.9m
Width: 3.2m
Weight: 58 tonnes
Ground Clearance: Variable due to suspension adjustability. Default at 50cm
Performance
Maximum (Governed) Speed: 80 kph (50mph)
Cross Country Speed: 64 kph (40mph)
Speed, 10% slope: 33 kph
Speed, 60% slope: 17 kph
Acceleration: 0kph to 32 kph in 7.8 seconds
Range: 605 km (480 km at operational cruising speed)
Manoeuvrability
Vertical Obstacle Crossing: 104cm
Trench: 290cm
Suspension: Hydropneumatic
Armament
4 x KWF PAK2 25mm automatic cannons, (1600 rnds)
SALY28 Surface-to-air missiles (16)
Power
Propulsion: Modular – default powerplant 40L LY665 V10 multi-fuel propane-injected twin-turbo diesel 1600 HP at 2500RPM
Transmission: Hydropneumatic automatic transmission (5 fwd gears, 2 rvse)
Power-to-Weight Ratio: ~27.5hp/ton (weight and power variable depending on configuration)
APU: 2 (underarmour)
Armour and Protection
Armour: Highly modularised. Base includes IRHA, titanium-ceramic, 4th Generation Composite.
NBC Protection: SCFM, clean cooled air, LYMkII CBRN overpressure system.
Missile Countermeasures: Modular. Standard options include WATCHKEEPER, GOLIATH. Other APS also compatible.
Background
For just shy of a decade, the LY220 Shepherd, employed primarily in conjunction with the LY219 Ironheart, has provided the mainstay of the Lyran Protectorate's mobile anti-aircraft defence. The system has proven itself adaptable, effective, easily supportable and possessed of a high readiness state. Difficulties were encountered, however, when Shepherds found themselves under direct fire, with the LY219 chassis being vulnerable to medium-calibre AP weapons.
The existing LY4 chassis did not readily lend itself to extensive modification of its turret, and thus the issue was shelved, the resources of the LY220 conversion program being re-allocated towards the then-still-in-development LY471 Skyguard system.
The advent of the LY7, however, opened up a new potential avenue of research and development, one which the Protectorate Research and Development Commission seized with both hands, with investigation into the concept being entered into even before the first LY7 chassis rolled off the production lines.
The LY7's focus on modularity, and its lightweight base design, lent itself well to the adjustment to an air-defence role, it was thought, and initial examinations of the idea being even more promising than first expected. The lack of significant access between the crew compartment and turret actually made things easier, given the predominantly automated nature of the weapons systems of the Shepherd system, and the chassis' considerably higher weight bearing capacity enabled significantly greater armament loadout and ammunition carriage.
While superficially similar to the LY220 Shepherd, especially in profile, the new system carried 25% more missiles, and twice as many automatic cannons, increasing the platform's combat endurance considerably, to the point where it was no longer considered to be the same as the LY220 Shepherd. The new turret was designated the LY222, and the new vehicle was dubbed the LY7/222 King Shepherd. While little-to-nothing of the LY7's low-profile silhouette remained, this was considered a very low priority relative to the performance of the primary offensive systems.
The LY7/222 currently serves the Protectorate in just over three hundred divisions, with that number increasing at the rate of several hundred divisions per year. The LY7/222 also serves alongside its LY219/220 ancestors in some formations.
Armament
The LY7/222 carries 16 SALY28 short-to-medium range surface-to-air missiles, which form the primary AA armament. The missiles have a bicalibre body in tandem configuration, separable smokeless booster and sustainer with separation mechanism. The sustainer contains the warhead and contact and proximity fuses.
The SALY28, when used in the SAM role, features semi-active radar homing, which can switch to active if the signal from the firing or illuminating vehicle is interrupted. Further, SALY28, as with many missiles, is also designed to switch between radar detection and home-on-jamming as circumstances require. The inbuilt computer has the additional option of using infra-red tracking in the terminal stages of the flight envelope.
While in LOS to the firing vehicle, the SALY28 may be given the abort command, which will self-destruct the missile, in the advent of a misfire or misidentified target.
Range: 1000m – 15,000m
Altitude: 3000m – 9000m
Guidance: SARH, ARH, IR, HoJ
Weight with container: 95kg
Launch weight: 70kg
Container diameter: 180mm
Length in container: 3.4m
Warhead type: Fragmentation rod
Warhead weight: 18kg
Maximum speed: 1,150m/sec
Time of flight to 10km range: 14 seconds
In addition to the SALY28 missile system, the King Shepherd mounts four KWF PAK2 25 mm automatic cannons, with 1600 rounds of a variety of ammunition. Maximum (combined) rate of fire is 800 rounds per minute.
The PAK2 can destroy lightly armoured vehicles and aerial targets (such as helicopters and slow-flying aircraft). It can also suppress enemy positions such as exposed troops, dug-in positions, and occupied built-up areas.
This chain-driven weapon system uses sprockets and extractor grooves to actively feed, load, fire, extract, and eject rounds. A system of clutches provides for the use of alternates thus allowing the gunner to switch between armour piercing, high explosive and high explosive incendiary rounds, as well as manually selecting the rate of fire.
It has a rating of 31,000 mean rounds between stoppage (MRBS), which is much higher than many comparable devices.
Cartridge; 25mm x 216mm
Operation: chain gun (1.5hp)
Feeds: Disintegrating link belt
Weight: 115kg
Length: 2.25m
Muzzle velocity; 1200m/s
ROF: Cyclic 200 +/- 25 RPM
Max effective range against ground targets; 2200m
Max effective range against aerial targets (theoretical); 6800m
Propulsion and mobility
The King Shepherd borrows from the base LY7 modularity, by its flexible position with regards to engines. Capable of accepting an extremely wide variety of engines, as long as they are able to generate electrical power, the LY7/222 follows the LY7-series' new benchmark in force sustainment and domestic integration of non-indigenous components.
The armoured engine bay is designed for easy access and expedient removal, which also flows on to notably easier maintenance, and the platform's flexibility enables any given battleforce to continue, if desired, its extant logistics practices with the aim of greatly enhanced battleforce sustainment.
The LY7-series, borrowing from features first demonstrated on the LY219 and later on the LY6, uses an electric transmission system, where the drive shafts have been replaced by cable and the power from the engines is transferred by cable throughput, which delivers a number of advantages, including volume efficiency, very high fuel efficiency (essential to make the engine viable, in this case), reduced lifecycle costs, and reduced environmental impacts.
The electric drive has also greatly improved low observability characteristics in terms of thermal and acoustic signatures as well as low visual and radar signatures.
Borrowing again from the LY219, and LY6 Werewolf, the LY7-series' suspension is mounted on the underframe and not on the side frames, so the suspension is separated from the hull. A result of using a decoupled suspension in conjunction with the spall liners is that the internal noise level is as low as 75dB which is well below civilian vehicle noise acceptability standards, and 4dB below the previously benchmark LY6, the difference due to the LY7-series chassis being 38 tonnes lighter.
The engine, whatever it may be, is further decoupled from the final drives allowing flexibility in the placing of systems in the vehicle and also easily allows two smaller engines to be installed instead of one, should smaller engines be preferred for export purposes. Batteries are integrated into the electric drive system, which when considered in combination with the suspension, allow the vehicle to be driven near-silently for several hours with the engines shut down, a factor very likely to increase psychological strain on forces fighting against it in close terrain or poor visibilty.
The final drives are connected by a cross-shaft which gives higher power efficiency in turning manoeuvres by transferring the power regenerated at the inner track during a turn to the outer track.
Any engine fitted will, like its predecessors (bar the LY663), be linked to the Cromwell system, which keeps track of the temperatures of each individual segment of the engine, and both monitors and records engine stresses. The system then notifies both the operators and higher command when replacement or repair is required for components, as well as when the engine or parts of it are coming due for routine maintenance. This contributes to greatly reduced attrition, and total combat readiness is markedly improved as a result, while lowering maintenance workloads. The Cromwell system is also responsible for monitoring the active cooling of the vehicle's exhaust, as a means of reducing the vehicle's already low thermal signature, further enhancing the vehicle's low observability characteristics.
The entire assembly is, as per existing Lyran and TPF-standards, also fitted with deployable sand filters for use in high-sand environments, such as deserts or certain parts of the littoral.
As is also the standard with Lyran armoured vehicles, and now has been for some time, the King Shepherd is fitted with rear-vision cameras for manoeuvering in close country or urban environments, a factor which, in other vehicles, has prevented a tremendous number of accidents and eased the psychological load on personnel responsible for moving the vehicles in less-than-optimal conditions.
Tracks are shrouded as standard to increase resilience to battle damage, and have seven road wheels and two drive rollers, with only the forward roller on each side partially unshrouded.
Networking, integration, electronics and fire control
As with all Lyran designed vehicles, the King Shepherd is designed to integrate seemlessly and easily into the most sophisticated of military forces. The vehicle is fitted with a highly extensive sensor suite so as to enable the transmission of as much information as possible into any extant battlenet, while possessing internal computational facilities so as to handle required downloads from it.
While designed to slot into any existing battlespace architecture, the LY7/222 by default utilises the world-benchmark Cromwell II. Cromwell II is an integrated and adaptive battlespace network that maximises combat lethality, performance, and output and enables command and control on an unprecedented scale. Information is sourced not only from multiple sources on the individual platform, but from every Cromwell II equipped friendly vehicle within the battlespace, which provides constant informational updates across a broad spectrum of sources, both known to the operators, and operating below their awareness.
The Cromwell II system utilises this information to compute a firing solution for the relevant weapon system, based upon analysis of the target beneath the reticle. This is achieved in less time than it would take the operator to depress the firing stud. The firing solution that Cromwell II generates ensures a near-perfect hit percent at standard ranges, across all conditions.
At the most basic level, the Cromwell II system aims to accelerate engagement cycles and increase operational tempo at all levels of the warfighting system. This acceleration is achieved by providing a mechanism to rapidly gather and distribute targeting information, and rapidly issue directives. Cromwell II's ultra-high speed networking permits error-free, high integrity transmission in a bare fraction of the time required for voice-based transmission, and permits transfer of a wide range of data formats, from a multitude of compatible sources.
Borrowing from fire control measures designed by the Koreans for the K2 Black Panther, Lyran Arms and the Varessan Commonwealth's VMRDB developed a built-in trigger-delay mechanism. Other contemporary tanks, up to and including the LY4A1 (to be rectified in the in-development LY4A2), but not including the K2, can be found to, despite all other fire control methods, miss their target when they fire their gun and hit a slight bump at the same time, a problem exacerbated, as would be expected, by movement at high speeds and/or across uneven terrain. The designers of the K2 anticipated this situation, and generated a solution for it by installing a laser emitter-receiver assembly linked to the FCS, a concept that has been brought across for implementation in offensive systems, whatever those offensive systems may be, on the LY7-series.
In case of an emergency, the vehicle can be operated by only two, or even a single, member of its three crew. The FCS can autonomously locate and track visible, sensory or data-link acquired targets, comparing them both to known hostiles (identified by datalink) or targets established by image recognition (again as available via information uplink), avoid blue-on-blue engagements and fire its systems without needing any input from a human operator, although the absence of a human operator will adversely affect engagement tempo.
The LY7-series crew-stations, on Lyran and Lyran-allied vehicles only, utilise a far more advanced and adaptive control interface than standard, by displaying sensor data from the vehicle's external sensors directly onto the HUD inside the crew's headset-visor. As the crewman turns his head, the view pans, and either physical or voice activated controls are then used as required. By way of example, the crew commander may look left, with the weapon mounted on the commander's weapon station following his movement (if the function is activated). As required, the commander simply has to look at the target, and press the firing stud. Alternatively, he could look at a target, and designate it for engagement by either voice command or toggle. Targets can be sequenced for engagement, and the operators may target and fire in a similar manner using any of the platform's offensive systems. The gunner's station is identical to, and interchangeable with, the commander's, and either can take on additional roles if the situation requires. This feature is only available to LY7s in Lyran or allied service. When used in conjunction with Cromwell II, and the fast-traversing turret, the engagement speeds of the LY7-series are almost twice as fast as any previously designed Lyran vehicle – a crucial element to AFV survivability, and responsiveness.
The King Shepherd, like its LY220 ancestor, uses the AN/MPQ-77 Vigilant radar system. The Vigilant is a three-dimensional radar used to alert and queue Short-to-Medium Range Air Defense (STMRAD- pronounced “stem-rad”) weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching front line forces. The Vigilant radar is deployed with forward area air defense units across all branches of the Lyran Protectorate Military, and also forms the primary air search and air defence radar on Battleaxe-class cruisers.
The radar uses an X-band, range-gated, pulse-doppler system. The antennae use phase-frequency electronic scanning technology, forming sharp 3D pencil beams covering large surveillance and track volume. The radar automatically detects, tracks, classifies, identifies and reports targets, including cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. It uses a high scan rate (40 RPM), is frequency agile, and operates at a range of 52 km. The radar is designed to incorporate extremely high resistance to electronic countermeasures (ECM), performs target acquisition, confirmation, tracking and identification.
A developed on the LY6 series, and subsequently retrofitted to all Lyran-operated AFVs, the electrics of the LY7-series, more specifically the circuitry, are composed of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), rendering the vehicle proof against electromagnetic interference or EMP-based attack, although the GaAs is itself a highly expensive addition. It was quickly reasoned, however, that when operating in an environment which may include anti-strategic platforms such as the LY4032 “Rampart”, the chances of the platform encountering high levels of electromagnetic interference goes up dramatically, and the dangers this presents far outweigh the relatively modest (though expensive in absolute terms) cost of the implementation of GaAs components.
Armour
The King Shepherd features an armour scheme based very heavily, as would be expected, on its LY7 predecessor. There are a significant number of differences, however, primarily focused around the downgrading of the armour scheme, due to the platform's intended role as an indirect fire-support unit, rather than an MBT. The armour is still proof against 30mm rounds, but is no longer intended to provide defence against hostile armoured units. All weapons are capable of operating in a direct fire capacity, however, making the platform far from helpless if engaged by enemy units.
As with the base LY7, the King Shepherd is structurally steel, but the vast majority of the armour of the chassis is titanium, which in general terms offers considerably higher protection per unit of weight. Given the premium placed on weight within the LY7, and even more so on the LY7/366, titanium was exceptionally attractive. The LY7 production runs have already pushed the price of titanium per-unit down a considerable distance, and the use of the material on the King Shepherd is expected to continue the trend.
The primary external armour is titanium-chobham, a form of composite armour composed of multiple layers of titanium and ceramic. The titanium plates hold the ceramic in position and the ceramic maintains its resistance to shock even when fragmented, as long as it remains held together. Explosive reactive armour is fitted as standard (though is often removed as superfluous) to the turret and major hull areas. Fireproof armoured bulkheads seperate the crew compartment from the engine bay, which itself forms part of the forward passive protection suite.
Fuel and ammunition are located within armoured sub-compartments with integral anti-spalling layers, and those self-same antispalling systems are also used to protect the internals of the crew compartment. The spall lining is also designed to provide a high degree of noise and thermal insulation, making the King Shepherd, like its LY7-series predecessors, extremely quiet for its operators, analagous (to the operators), to noise levels experienced while driving in a civilian vehicle.
Unlike the LY7, the LY7/222 is not expected to utilise the extensive modular armour capabilities afforded by the chassis. The function remains, however, and will thus be detailed.
Due to the LY7's emphasis on applique armour as a means of providing variable levels of protection, appropriate to threat level and weight restrictions, the LY7/222 retains the ability to field a whole host of after-armour packages. Extensive use of heavy explosive reactive armour on multiple surfaces, or non-explosive reactive armour if operating in close-proximity to infantry, and each of varying types, is entirely feasible. The vehicle's heavy use of titanium (especially on the sides and rear, where surfaces generally have the least slope) to keep weight to an absolute minimum while not sacrificing protection, and allowing for easy operator up-armouring is calculated as part of its standard operating circumstances. It is expected that, as new or more effective forms of modular armour are developed, users will be easily able to integrate the packages into the chassis with a bare minimum of effort.
Internal spalling layers are, by default, kevlar, a long-accepted international standard in the field. Should additional protection be sought, the kevlar can be removed and replaced with any number of materials, of which steltexolites of a variety of forms are popular choices. Steltexolites have been traditionally chosen by Lyras, due to its greater resilience to KE and HE based armour piercing AT weapons than kevlar.
Now, however, another option has become available for the anti-spalling layer, to those states eligible to acquire the North Point A1 armour upgrade to the LY7. Derived from research undertaken in conjunction with the 'Dauntless' body armour project, Lyran vehicles utilise anciniform spider silk as anti-spalling protection.
Once threads are manufactured, the silk is woven in the same manner as fibrous material anywhere. The fibres mesh well, and fibrous internal friction is low while elasticity and tensile strength both remain very high, allowing for exceptionally good resistance, particularly so when compared to other similar substances, such as aramids. The fibres, unusually, become proportionally stronger as they get thinner, and research and implementation quickly established what spiders established millions of years ago, that weaving 100 thin fibres into a silken strand is almost 60% stronger than an equivalent width single strand, while utilising (approximately) only 80% of the material mass. Also, critically, spider silk has a biphasic modulus – when initially subjected to force it is very stiff, like Kevlar, but just before the yield point it becomes very elastic. It also undergoes hysteresis, so if released from tension it comes back into shape.
In essence, while offering only slightly improved protection-to-weight ratios than kevlar, anciniform spider silk is dramatically thinner, allowing notably more material to be packed into the same space. As a consequence, while the protection per unit weight may be similar to kevlar, the protection per unit volume is considerably higher, and it is this consideration that lead to its adoption as anti-spalling on most Lyran vehicles, at the cost of an additional 400kg of weight. Again, this option is modular, and some units do not utilise it.
Signature Reduction
A great number of active and passive signature reduction methods have been implemented in the LY7, making it the AFV with the lowest detection footprint of any yet produced by the Lyran Protectorate. The LY7/222 maintains these signature reduction techniques, which are employed to minimise detectability by radar, infra-red, direct line-of-sight visibility and acoustic means.
The first method by which the detection signature is reduced is through use of the Lyran-designed and manufactured 'Warshroud' advanced multi-spectral camouflage netting system. Based heavily on the Ukrainian 'Kontrast', 'Warshroud' dramatically reduces the detection ranges against known radar, infra-red and visible-band methods. The 'Kontrast' system was developed at the Institute of Automated Systems in late 2002, and was designed to address a notable and growing problem. High-potency modern weapons are able to engage ground vehicles at any angle, from great ranges, by day or by night, irrespective of weather, and with a potency that was becoming increasingly difficult to counter. The Institute's researchers faced a real challenge and, moreover, it was decided to develop a single solution, one that would take into account all noted factors and be implemented within the weight and size limitations.
In approaching this task specialists at the Institute of Automated Systems decided to proceed from the key idea behind the design of high precision weapons. High-precision, high-lethality systems universally require integration with means of detection, which of necessity requires the design of sensor sets and target locators, and the implementation of effective scanning capabilities across several adjacent or near-adjacent visible and invisible spectra, including visible light, close and long infra-red waves, and laser scans(in the infrared, millimeter and centimeter wave bands).
The developers of Kontrast took an ordinary camouflage net as the base and, utilising the latest technological innovations, turned it into a new generation signature-reduction product to combat the sophistication of modern radar systems and other contemporary military reconnaissance means. The result was the development of a surprisingly effective solution.
Developed countries traditionally have utilised a wide variety of signature reduction technologies, many of which include various after-manufacture coatings. The technical requirements of such coating are very high - their reflection capacity must be below 20 dB in a wide range of bands. This factor forced the Ukrainian – and later Lyran – research teams to examine new physical methods for reducing or amplifying reflection of radar waves to achieve effective electromagnetic concealment. With this goal in mind, the 'Kontrast' developers tried to find materials with absorptive and reflective characteristics for attenuating and amplifying electromagnetic waves. Experiments generated a series of composite materials with superb characteristics for greatly diminishing the wave reflection contrast between the protected object and its background.
'Kontrast' simultaneously employed both absorption and targetted reflection of electromagnetic waves. The array of material used within the netting the product, each of which featured at least one of the said qualities, allowed protection from a great range of known target location means. 'Kontrast' tests have repeatedly shown its superiority across a wide range of battlefield conditions to analogues from Sweden and Britain, whether the concealed unit is moving or stationary.
'Warshroud' built on 'Kontrast' by the integration of signature reduction techniques in the IR spectrum pioneered by the LDPCU multi-spectral camouflage. The resultant product takes nearly twice as long to produce, due to the difficulty in applying a coating (which had been done away with under 'Kontrast') to the camouflage netting. Attempts are being made to shorten the 'Warshroud' manufacturing process, but it is somewhat of a moot point. Production as it stands is more than capable of keeping up with the manufacture of the vehicles utilising 'Warshroud'. 'Warshroud''s visible suppression includes, as with most camouflage nets, terrain-appropriate textile strips, soaked in a dielectric polymer that can absorb and scatter electromagnetic waves. The textile pieces are made of non-reactive, radar transparent fabric.
In 2002, tests run using 'Kontrast' on a T-84 determined that the ability of hostile weapons to lock onto a vehicle dropped nine-fold compared to an unshrouded vehicle. It was further established that T-84 MBTs fielding 'Kontrast' dropped out of visibility range of viewing devices at distances over and including 500m.
'Warshroud' builds on this, with additional substantial reduction in detectability of targets in infra-red, radio-thermal and radio wave bands. Improvements in synthetic and parasynthetic textiles have also reduced the inherent radar return in the material which binds the net together, along all detection envelopes.
'Warshroud' has repeatedly demonstrated excellent resistance to various external factors while keeping its camouflaging characteristics intact – a factor very quickly determined to be a critical capability of the system. Tests had tanks equipped with a 'Warshroud' run at their tops speeds in off-road conditions, in woods and deserts, while similarly equipped IFVs conducted amphibious landings. In all cases, the signature reduction capabilities of the equipment were unreduced to any appreciable degree. All elements of 'Warshroud' are resistant to fuels, lubricants (gasoline, diesel fuel, lube oil) and detergents. Furthermore, spinning off from research conducted into the LDPCU once again, the shroud is made of self-extinguishing materials, ensuring that flames cease to burn free of subsequent glowing, once the fire source is removed.
'Warshroud' itself consists of a number of modular components that can be put together to create a masking surface of any size and shape, with colors matching any field environment in any season.
It is currently expected that existing AFV stocks will be retrospectively fitted with 'Warshroud', as a means of contributing to the ongoing attempts to reduce detection footprints across all relevant bands.
The second primary means of signature reduction is focused on the engine and drive systems of the vehicle. While already alluded to above in the analysis of the platform's propulsion and mobility, relevant points will be reiterated here for ease of reference.
The electric drive differs from conventional AFV drive system arrangements by utilising a hybrid powerplant. This essentially means that the engine generates electric power which in turn powers the batteries which propel the vehicle. The electric drive, has, importantly, implemented a suite of features designed to mitigate its detectability, both acoustically and thermally. Moreover, the presence of dual APUs and the primary and secondary battery banks allow the vehicle to be driven for several hours with the main engines off, which pushes the sound generated to below that of a conventional civilian motor vehicle.
As with a number of earlier marks of AFV, the King Shepherd's decoupled suspension is seperated from the hull, and similarly seperated from the final section which turns the drive wheels, a factor which considerably lowers audibility in itself.
Acoustically, the vehicle is phenomenally quiet in most circumstaces, and preliminary manoeuvers conducted with early Lyran vehicles have demonstrated the potential that this low-observability can manifest, providing a tremendous advantage in low-visibility scenarios, by day or by night.
By utilising the Cromwell system to actively monitor the engine and propulsion systems, the crew are able to remain constantly aware of the amount of noise being generated, and also the amount of heat being radiated. Furthermore, as indicated in the propulsion and mobility section, the King Shepherd, as with both its LY7 ancestor and the LY6 Werewolf, utilises active cooling of its own exhaust, a further means of suppressing thermal and infra-red signature. When this is taken in conjunction with 'Warshroud', the thermal and IR footprint of the LY7/222 is a bare fraction of what its weight and power would suggest.
Crew amenities
It has been a well-known fact in most militaries that well-rested and alert soldiers with a high morale and a high degree of confidence in themselves and their equipment will perform faster, more effectively and with fewer avoidable errors than those who fall short in any of the above categories. To that end, for a number of years Lyran vehicles have put a strong emphasis on designing and manufacturing hardware that can effectively cater for the comfort needs of personnel that fight from that hardware.
To that end, Lyran vehicles from the LY4 onwards featured crew amenities designed to optimise performance of personnel and maintain morale. This, in the King Shepherd, manifests in a number of ways.
The King Shepherd fields the commonplace hot and cold water drink point, which provides hot water, cold water, and with two further compartments that can be filled with hot or cold drinks of the crew or unit's choice. As well as being morale boosting, hot water in particular can be of direct military value, with it being used to brew tea or coffee, produce other hot beverages and, most importantly, it is used for dehydrated ration packs common to many armies and armed services.
Situated immediately below the drink point is a small bar fridge, which can either carry spare rations, 'jack' rations, or approximately two cases of soft-drinks or equivalent.
The NBC system follows Lyran standard, and features quite adequately as a climate control system, making for working temperatures easily adjustable to every national or personal need (operating temperature range -40C to 55C). The NBC system on the King Shepherd, however, can be removed and/or replaced with alternate systems, should the operating entity so desire.
Seat warmers/coolers are also fitted, to ensure greater comfort and optimise combat endurance and deployability of both crew and personnel being transported. The seats can also be adjusted, manually or electronically, to ensure optimum comfort and control access for any shape or size.
The LY7-series pioneered the provision of a small toilet located to the rear, on the left of the main door. This addresses a major stressor identified to continuous closed-down armoured operations – the requirement to urinate. Personnel can be in combat situations or near-combat situations for days at a time, and while sleep is also in short supply, other body requirements, generally speaking, cannot be put off that long. Thus, given the LY7's emphasis on operational and strategic mobility, the vehicle was designed with a latrine in mind, and the King Shepherd happily utilises this development. While limited in capacity, the system allows the vehicle, and thus its unit, to continuously manoeuver or remain under armour for far longer than would otherwise be expected.
LY7/222s, as with their predecessors employ, as standard, with integral high-speed wireless (satellite) broadband internet connections, allowing the crew to surf the internet, check their emails, or correspond with family. It is worth noting, however, that personnel surfing the net while on the move or on duty is to be strongly discouraged, and some tank commanders within LY4 and LY6 units have taken to locking the system, such that only they can allow access, an adjustment that has met with great success. The provision of insulated external connections allows accompanying or transported personnel to simply plug in to the side of the vehicle, and then they to can go online. Vehicles with this feature, at this point approximately 80% of the Lyran arsenal, are invariably popular with the units that field them, or are attached to them, as they not only ensure vastly improved fire support, but also mean that personnel are going to get, hot (or cold) drinks, snacks and a way to talk to home, all of which ensures dramatically higher morale and the notably higher performance that such morale generates.
Export
The LY7/222 King Shepherd is Lyras' solution to the requirement for provision of effective, sustainable, robust and high pK organic tactical air defence. Designed to integrate effortlessly with the most modern of fighting forces, the King Shepherd's capabilities are nevertheless formidable regardless of the effectiveness of supporting elements. Capable of high-speed engagement against all forms of aerial targets, and comfortably able to be utilised in direct fire roles, the King Shepherd is welcome support to all combat arms, wherever it is found. Whatever the nature of the military force, the LY7/222 can slide seemlessly into it, adapting and responding to best meet the operator's requirements in responsive, accurate firepower.
Upon purchase of an LY7/222, the purchaser is entitled to the following, in addition;
DPR to the PAK2 25mm automatic cannon, for use with that vehicle only.
DPR to the SALY28 S/MR SAM, for use with that vehicle only.
DPR to stocks, spare parts, ammunition and resupply examples of the above, to maintain suitable reserves and hardware redundancy, for use with the LY7/222 King Shepherd series only.
Each LY7/222 is available from Lyran Arms (“http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=541320”), at a total cost per unit of NS$18m.
To states so authorised, DPRs to the LY7/222 King Shepherd are available at NS$70bn.