MANTIS (air defense system)

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MANTIS (air defense system)


Air defense system gun

General Information
Military designation: MANTIS
Manufacturer designation: MANTIS NBS C-RAM
Manufacturer country: Germany
Developer / Manufacturer: Rheinmetall Air Defense
Development year: 2007-2010
Production time: 2011 until today
Weapon Category: Air defense
Team: 4 people
Technical specifications
Weight ready for use: 5800 kg
Cadence : 1000 rounds / min
Elevation range: 100 degrees
Side straightening area: 360 °
Furnishing
Ammunition supply: Loading strips for 24 shells
Target location radar: X-band
search radar, tracking radar , IFF
Target location optical: Infrared aiming system ,
laser rangefinder ,
TV camera
Guns: 6 weapon stations GD-F020

The MANTIS , formerly also the short range protection system C-RAM (NBS C-RAM), is a stationary air short range air defense system ( English Short Range Air Defense , SHORAD for short ). In addition to the classic objectives of the anti-aircraft, such as airplanes and helicopters, it can work against small targets like drones / UAVs and guided weapons and against so-called RAM targets ( R aketen, A rtilleriegeschosse and M örser) are used. C-RAM is the internationally used abbreviation for C ounter- R ocket, A rtillery and M ortar.

The name MANTIS is composed of the first letters of the English name M odular, A utomatic and N etwork capable T arge ting and I nterception S ystem , which describes the basic characteristics of the system.

Rheinmetall Air Defense markets the system internationally under the protected name MANTIS NBS C-RAM .

development

The Bundeswehr tested the Skyshield modular anti-aircraft weapon system in December 2004 at the target shooting range in Todendorf . Due to the good results, further development was then started.

In March 2007, the German Armed Forces commissioned Rheinmetall Air Defense (formerly Oerlikon Contraves) to develop a short-range protection system (NBS) against RAM targets. The occasion was various attacks with rockets and mortar shells on the military camps of the German Armed Forces in Mazar-e Sharif and Kunduz ( Afghanistan ). The order value for the development was 48 million euros and was signed in April 2007 at the Koblenz Federal Office for Defense Technology and Procurement . Based on the 35 mm automatic cannon caliber used by Oerlikon Contraves for decades for air defense and the AHEAD ammunition available for this purpose , Rheinmetall Air Defense developed the 35 mm GDF 020 revolver cannon , a fire control radar and a command center.

procurement

In May 2009 the budget committee of the German Bundestag decided to procure two NBS C-RAM systems at a total price of 136 million euros for the Bundeswehr. The two systems were delivered in May 2013.

construction

The FlaWaSys MANTIS is modularly adaptable to the size and the environment of a protected object and basically consists of an operating and fire control center (BFZ) , two radar sensors and up to eight connected GDF-020 guns (up to four guns per sensor ). The integration of MANTIS into the "Air Defense System" (SysFla) is planned.

Control and fire control center (BFZ)

The BFZ is designed as a three-in-one container from the steep GmbH (formerly Serco GmbH) and is manned by four soldiers in shifts around the clock (24/7) , with three soldiers for monitoring the airspace situation and for weapons - and sensor operation are used and are managed by a commander. The system is largely operated in a highly automated manner. Due to legal requirements - the so-called Rules of Engagement  - a fully automatic fight against targets is not provided, human operation is essential for safety reasons. The response times required to combat RAM targets represent the real challenge for the BFZ crew.

The BFZ can be networked with various data and communication networks in order to improve situational awareness and to be able to recognize, track, measure and combat approaching air warfare in good time before a successful fight. The Bundeswehr is therefore planning to connect a medium / wide range radar to the BFZ in addition to the MANTIS sensor.

Sensor unit NBS

For successful RAM combat, MANTIS is connected to at least one radar sensor that has been optimized primarily to detect and track targets whose radar cross section (RCS / Radar Cross Section) is very small. The MANTIS radar should be able to detect targets with an RCS well below 0.01 m² at distances of up to about 20 km. One or more additional sensors are only used as redundancy , to close gaps in the radar coverage (radar shadow) or to stagger the depth of the target search.

35 mm GDF 020 gun

The GDF-020 revolver cannon, which is based on the 35/1000 cannon , is a single- barrel , unmanned anti-aircraft gun with a caliber of 35 x 228 mm. The gun stands on a platform in the container / pallet standard ISO 1D with a ground contact area of ​​2988 mm × 2435 mm and as such can be loaded onto suitable vehicles. The gun has a total length of 5526 mm, is 2435 mm wide and 2088 mm high. The mass is 5350 kg or 5800 kg with ammunition. The horizontal swivel range is 360 °, the tube elevation –15 ° to + 85 °. The cadence is 1000 rounds per minute once the turret closure has reached full rotational speed, so after a few shots. As a C-RAM system, the gun is loaded with AHEAD ammunition (modern shrapnel ammunition) with a muzzle velocity of around 1050 m / s. The maximum range of the gun is 5 km against slow or not clearly changing course and around 3 km against ammunition.

The GDF-020 gun is equipped with a protective barrel casing to prevent deformation of the gun barrel as a result of the weather (e.g. solar radiation). The revolver drum can also be influenced by a heating and cooling device. Several temperature sensors continuously measure the temperatures in the gun and pass this information on to the BFZ. This is necessary in order to achieve the required precision that is required to be able to hit small and very small targets several kilometers away.

A target engagement always takes place with two guns, whereby one gun should be sufficient and the second only fires as redundancy . Each gun fires in volleys of up to 36 rounds. The salvo length can be configured by the operator. Nothing is known about the reloading time of the charging strips (and therefore downtime).

Immediately after leaving the barrel, the projectile speed is measured and the timer is programmed in the bottom of the AHEAD projectile. Depending on the mission, each AHEAD projectile releases a large number of 3.3 g tungsten projectiles 10–30 m in front of the target object, whereby the twist stabilization of the projectile forms a small cloud, which is intended to destroy or crash the target object.

However, most of the sub-projectiles miss or penetrate the target and then endanger people on the ground. Head hits with such a dense 3.3 g projectile (equivalent to a 5.56 mm assault rifle projectile ) can be fatal. This requires weighing up the risks and, under certain circumstances, blocking individual angular areas for the defense fire.

commitment

Leadership responsibility

With the approval of the Federal Minister of Defense Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg on August 21, 2010, the task of short-range protection C-RAM / field camp protection including the MANTIS weapon system was transferred from the Army to the Air Force on January 1, 2011 .

On March 25, 2011 the anti-aircraft group (now FlaRakGrp 61) of the anti-aircraft missile squadron 1 , which operates the Mantis weapon system, was put into service in Husum . MANTIS has been part of FlaRakGrp 61 since May 2013.

Use by the German ISAF contingent

According to a report in the Handelsblatt from September 5, 2011, contrary to the original plan, the system will not be used in Afghanistan for the time being because, due to the reduced threat, "an operational need for the introduction of Mantis in the Kunduz PRT is currently not a priority"; Furthermore, there are problems with the ammunition production and fine adjustment of the weapon system under operational conditions.

Use by the German contingent MINUSMA

In March 2017 it was announced that from April 2017 parts of the MANTIS weapon system (sensor and command component ) to protect the Camp Castor from rocket, artillery and mortar attacks will be relocated to Gao . If necessary, the guns could be pulled up. The weapon system and crew are provided by the anti-aircraft missile group 61 from Todendorf , the MANTIS train was subordinated to the object protection company. The operational readiness of the system was reported on January 24, 2018.

Air defense system (SysFla)

With the planned air defense system (SysFla) , the Bundeswehr is to receive a state-of-the-art air defense system that is intended to ensure comprehensive protection of soldiers during deployment against threats from the air. The spectrum covered by this system will range from small targets to large-caliber rockets and missiles, as well as classic targets such as helicopters and fighter jets. As part of SysFla, the elements of MANTIS are to be integrated into or expanded. The basic configuration SysFla is taken over by the GDF-020 gun, the NBS sensor unit and also the BFZ, with the latter being expanded to connect the New Generation guided missile (LFK NG) and the FIRST infrared sensor.

Web links

Commons : MANTIS  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rheinmetall AG - April 3, 2007: Rheinmetall anti-aircraft system to protect Bundeswehr military camps from attacks. (No longer available online.) May 20, 2007, archived from the original on May 20, 2007 ; accessed on April 22, 2018 .
  2. ^ The air defense group In: Luftwaffe.de.
  3. ^ The anti-aircraft weapon system MANTIS In: Luftwaffe.de.
  4. ^ Helmut Michelis: New missile protection comes from Düsseldorf ( Memento from May 23, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) . In: Rheinische Post, May 19, 2009.
  5. ↑ With high-tech against rocket attacks: Rheinmetall supplies protective systems to the German armed forces .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Rheinmetall press release of May 19, 2009.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.rheinmetall-defence.com
  6. ↑ Rheinmetall defense system is not used in Kunduz . In: Handelsblatt , September 5, 2011
  7. ↑ More protection for the soldiers in Mali. Retrieved March 18, 2017 .
  8. ↑ MANTIS - protection at the highest level. In: www.bmvg.de. January 26, 2018, accessed February 14, 2018 .