| « | The MIM-145 Defender Surface-Air-Missile system was designed to protect NATO airspace against hostile intrusion. Typically found near high-value assets such as airfields and military bases to protect against long-range aerial threats. Armed with long-range Defender missiles, and connected to AN/MPQ-105 radar via data-link, this system is a serious threat to any opponent. Field Manual
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The MIM-145 Defender is a heavy anti-aircraft system used both by NATO forces and the Livonian Defense Force in ArmA 3. It was added as part of the Jets DLC.
Overview[]
The Defender is a long-range, all-altitude, and all-weather air defence system used to counter enemy aircraft.
Primarily employed to defend NATO installations from air attacks, the Defender provides superior AA coverage compared to the smaller (but mobile) IFV-6a Cheetah. A single missile from the Defender is always enough to critically damage, if not outright destroy, any fixed/rotary-wing aircraft.
Missiles away.
Every individual battery has four launch tubes which each contain a single radar-guided, surface-to-air missile, combined for a total of four missiles per launcher. It can be "controlled" with a UAV Terminal, and is always paired alongside unarmed AN/MPQ-105 radar sites which are designed to work in tandem with the launcher.
This is because aside from data link capability, the Defender does not have any sensors by itself. Instead, the AN/MPQ-105 remotely provides the Defender with an active radar. This allows it to acquire and launch its SAMs against distant aircraft without having to expose the launcher's position (electronically).
With smart positioning of each radar site, a single Defender battery placed in the centre of this "network" can cover an entire area extending out to 16 km. However, it should be noted that this does require each radar site to be within range in order to share information with the Defender.
At the same time, each radar site is incredibly vulnerable to hackers and being detected by anti-radiation passive radars the moment they are activated. This makes it paramount that crews at each site only turn on their radars when an attack is expected, and always have armed escorts nearby to deter potential saboteurs.
Camouflage[]
- Olive: Dark olive green paint scheme. Applied onto LDF batteries.
- Sand: Pattern-less dark tan paint scheme. Exclusive to Mediterranean NATO forces.
Sensors[]
The Defender by itself does not have access to any sensors aside from the ability to utilise data link. It exclusively relies on other systems in order to acquire enemy aircraft:
| Sensor type | Max range (Air/Ground) | Min range (Air/Ground) | Affected by environment? | Target max speed (km/h) | Azimuth coverage (°) | Elevation coverage (°) | Friendly identification range (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Link | A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
Nothing | 1e+10 km/h | 360° | 360° | 0 m |
Data Link[]
The Defender is data link-capable with all sensor-equipped vehicles and aircraft but is specifically designed to interface with the AN/MPQ-105 radar. It is able to receive (not transmit) target location information from any site within 16 km range of the Defender's current position.
Note that while the launcher itself is theoretically capable of locking onto targets at an unlimited distance by daisy chaining AN/MPQ-105 radars or Cheetah SPAAGs, it is actually limited to a hard range cap of 16 km. Beyond this distance, it will not be capable of locking onto a target even if it can track the target via data link.
Active Radar (AN/MPQ-105)[]
| Sensor type | Max range (Air/Ground) | Min range (Air/Ground) | Affected by environment? | Target max speed (km/h) | Azimuth coverage (°) | Elevation coverage (°) | Friendly identification range (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | A: 16,000 m G: 12,000 m |
A: 16,000 m G: 12,000 m |
Terrain clutter (200 m) | 5,000 km/h | 120° | 120° | 12,000 m |
| Data Link | A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
Nothing | 1e+10 km/h | 360° | 360° | 0 m |
| Passive | A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
Nothing | 1e+10 km/h | 360° | 360° | 12,000 m |
The AN/MPQ-105 site is the primary component of the Defender system and provides the launcher with the ability to lock onto targets. Targets can only be acquired if they get within bounds of the radar antenna's detection cone (represented by the teal cone on the SENSORS panel).
Note that although ground targets technically remain "invisible" to the radar due to terrain clutter, any targets that begin moving at speeds of ~ 100 km/h or greater will immediately become visible on the AN/MPQ-105's radar.
AN/MPQ-105: Passive Radar[]
The AN/MPQ-105's Passive Radar can only detect Active Radar threats that are within bounds of the radar antenna's facing direction. Targets outside of this cone will not be visible on the SENSORS panel.
AN/MPQ-105: Data Link[]
The AN/MPQ-105 is data link-capable. It can receive and transmit the locations of radar contacts to all friendly forces within 16 km range.
It should be noted that the AN/MPQ-105's data link is the only sensor that is not restricted to the radar antenna's facing direction (it can receive/transmit in any direction).
Missile specifications[]
Defender
| Damage type | Base damage value |
|---|---|
| High-Explosive | 400 |
Defender missiles are exclusively radar-guided and rely on other Active Radar-based units to track targets via Data Link. They have lock-on after launch (LOAL) capability.
Both the launcher and missile seeker have a lock-on cone of 120 degrees (horizontally and vertically). They can only lock onto aircraft that are travelling at speeds of up to 2,800 km/h, and have a maximum tracking distance of 16 km which cannot be exceeded even if the battery can "see" beyond that range via data link. The seeker has a 5% chance of losing lock to chaff-based defensive countermeasures.
The missiles are hard launched with an initial velocity of 45 m/s. The missile's motor will require a further 20 seconds of flight time to attain a top speed of 850 m/s. The warhead itself has a blast radius of 30 metres and a proximity fuse radius of 40 metres.
Each missile only retains enough fuel for 55 seconds of flight time. If they cannot hit their target within that timeframe, the missile will automatically self-destruct.
Trivia[]
- The Defender's TEL and radar trailer are based on components of Raytheon's "MIM-104 Patriot" missile system that is widely used by the armed forces of several NATO and non-Western countries.
- The TEL is modelled after the real-world "M901 Launching Station" component of the Patriot, though the tubes use a fictional, octagonal shape instead. Meanwhile, the radar trailer is based on the Patriot system's "AN/MPQ-53" and "AN/MPQ-65" radar set.
- Along with the remainder of free content included with the Encore update[1], the Defender is considered to be a bonus addition for the Jets DLC and does not actually require ownership of the DLC to use.[2]
- Due to technical limitations, neither the TEL nor the radar trailer can be towed by the HEMTT as vehicle towing isn't simulated by the Real Virtuality engine.
- The Defender is one of the first two land-based and usable heavy anti-aircraft weapon systems in the entire series.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Kovařič, V 2018, SPOTREP #00081, Arma 3, viewed 23 April 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00081>.
- ↑ van 't Land, J.J. et al. 2019, Arma 3: DLC Restrictions, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 2 September 2023, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_3:_DLC_Restrictions>.
External links[]
See also[]
Heavy AA systems of comparable role and configuration[]
- S-750 Rhea (CSAT counterpart)
| Heavy anti-air systems of ArmA 3 | |
|---|---|
| Land | MIM-145 Defender* • S-750 Rhea* |
| Naval | Mk21 Centurion • Mk49 Spartan • Praetorian 1C |
| Jets DLC * denotes content added as part of the Encore platform update. | |