IDAS - Submarine Launched Surface to Air Missile System

Diehl Defense from Germany is back at the Singapore Airshow promoting a number of defense systems which are of high value to customers in Asia. Particularly interesting is the IDAS (Interactive Defence and Attack System for Submarines). This unique submarine launched anti-helicopter weapon is designed to protect attack submarines from anti-submarine helicopters, as they become vulnerable hovering low above water, dipping their sonar in search of enemy submarines. This subsonic missile is optimized to seek out such slow targets, which pose significant risk to a submarine operating at littoral, brown waters.

Four missiles will be stored in a magazine that fits into a standard 21 torpedo tube. The missiles are ejected from the magazine into the water, extract their wings and separate quietly from the submarine, where they ignite the rocket and transition to airborne flight, propelled by the weapons rocket motor.

One of the development challenges was the propulsion system. The same rocket was required to provide thrust for both underwater and airborne flight. The rocket was designed to sustain the missiles at optimal velocity in submerged flight, and accelerate to subsonic flight while airborne, reaching effective range of 20 km. Another concern was sustaining the optical-fiber through the transit below and above water. Diehls engineers were concerned how the fiberoptic bobbins will behave in the different environments (below and above water) the test provided clear evidence this will not be an issue. Diehl initially considered using the IRST seeker for IDAS, however, this high performance and all aspect seeker may not be the only option, and other seekers might be considered to pick up the target, provided with passive cuing from by the submarine sonar. The submarine can acquire ASW helicopter when submerged, by localizing the ripple effect created by the rotor downwash. According to Diehl, the accuracy of such cuing system is adequate to provide bearing and range, bringing the missile seeker to autonomously acquire the target with high level of confidence. The fiber optical link would then be used by the crew to verify the target, confirm the intercept and perform battle damage assessment.

The IDAS missile breaking the surface, seen from the U33's periscope (top) and from a nearby support ship.

IDAS was originally developed for the German Type 212 submarines but the program has since frozen due to German defense budget cuts. Originally the missile was planned to become operational in 2014 but this timetable is now

unlikely as the German Navy acquisition programs have stalled recently due to lack of funding. Diehl is currently talking to international partners seeking bridging funding for the program, to sustain the development through the next stage. In few years, Diehl is confident the high interest in the program will turn into formal endorsement by foreign navies that have already expressed much interest in the program. For the missile development Diehl has teamed with Submarine builder HDW, which is now part of the Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS). Originally the weapon was designed to be integrated in the HDW Type 212 submarine but, according to Diehl, it can be integrated with other HDW types. IDAS is formally still in the proof of concept phase, which culminated four years ago in a submarine launch performed by the German Navy U33 Type 212 submarine in 2008. This test examined the underwater launch system, with the missile ejected from the torpedo tube, igniting the rocket under water, separating from the submarine without leaving significant signature (avoiding exposure of the submarine location). Following this maneuver IDAS performed a course change under the water, streaking vertically into the air. Back in 2008 the test focused on this transition phase, with future tests, to be performed when funding is available, would continue with full flight, target acquisition, guidance and battle damage assessment.

Company Name: Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW) Fields of Activity: Shipbuilders, Submarines Company Profile: Since January 2005 the Kiel-based company of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH has been part of the European shipyard alliance ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG, which has its headquarters in Hamburg. The company is one of the largest submarine builders in Europe, and the main supplier of submarines to the German Navy and many fleets worldwide. In addition to Hamburg and Kiel, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems has other bases located in Emden (Germany), Karlskrona and Malm (Sweden).

IDAS Missile System

Artist's impression of IDAS launch from a submarine.

Artist's impression of IDAS launch from a submarine. Image: Diehl IDAS, developed by a consortium of Diehl Defence.

The IDAS missile is about the same size as the ubiquitous AIM-9L Sidewinder from Raytheon (built under license by Diehl BGT Defence) and Diehl's IRIS-T missile (aft). Seen here on display at ILA 2008 in Berlin.

A German navy submarine has achieved a major milestone in undersea warfare by successfully test firing a fiber-optically-guided IDAS (Interactive Defense and Attack system for Submarines) missile from a submerged position yesterday. The test was performed by the U33, the third of Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems-built U 212 class of air-independent propulsion submarines, in the western part of the Baltic Sea May 29.

IDAS, developed by a consortium of Diehl Defence [the missile], TKMS (HDW) [submarine integration] and Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace [U 212 command & control system integration], showed a "convincing performance" during all phases of the flight, a statement from Diehl says. "After updating the missiles inertial system by the submarine's navigation system, the missile was ejected from the torpedo tube. Under water it spread its wings and rudders and started its engine to break through the water surface a few seconds later, ascending to a pre-planned altitude to move into a controlled flight stage", the statement says. Differing from an operational scenario, the test was ended in a controlled glide flight. During the entire flight, data and images of a video camera were transmitted to the submarine via the fiber-optical wire. According to Diehl, the test firing proves that IDAS can be employed from a submerged submarine. "All mechanical interfaces proved reliable while data transmission via optical wave guide functioned smoothly," the company says. High-ranking Navy officers from several interested countries witnessed the event as observers on an accompanying vessel. With the test firing from a submerged submarine, the IDAS consortium, in a joint effort with the German Navy as well as the German defense procurement agency BWB, passed a further milestone in this program, nine months earlier than foreseen in the contract, Diehl says. The next steps in the IDAS project consist of "drawing up outstanding phase documents and initializing the international development program". IDAS is designed to allow a submerged submarine to attack an antisubmarine warfare helicopter (which is particularly vulnerable when it is deployed in a hover operating its active dipping sonar), or slow-flying maritime patrol aircraft. The missile, launched from standard torpedo tubes, is also suited to perform a precision attack against a pinpoint position on a surface ship (such as the bridge or a helicopter on deck) or against a target ashore.

How should we rate this new capability and what will it mean to undersea and anti-submarine warfare in general and to the operation of active dipping sonar helicopters in particular? Let us know what you think in the comments.

The IDAS missile breaking the surface.

German U-Boat U-33 fired the IDAS missile the first time and successfully downed the target drone at a height of 1500 meters. IDAS is equipped with a searchhead camera that enables the soldiers to lead it into the target from the U-boat, making the missile hard to disrupt and very accurate.

Engineers at TKMS-owned Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) slide an IDAS test round into the launch container, which in turn fits inside a standard torpedo tube.