- Yes
- No
- 10.7
- 11.0
- 11.3
- 11.7
- I chose not to add the HVSD/ADAMS
- Yes
- No
- I chose not to add the HVSD/ADAMS
- Yes
- No
- I chose not to add the HVSD/ADAMS
[note]
Hi everyone, a long time passed since I’ve made the original HVSD/ADAMS suggestion on the old forums, and since then I have come across a literal ton of new information. I am at a point in my research about the HVSD/ADAMS where I believe I know everything on the internet about this vehicle, and any new information would have to come from an external source. As of making this suggestion, there are only 3 books that talk about the HVSD/ADAMS and very few other internet sources that don’t directly cite those books. This is, without a doubt, one of the vehicles with the least amount of info on them when it comes to Israeli vehicles. I hope you guys enjoy this one, ofekk213 out.
[/note]
Israel is in a bit of a problematic situation regarding SPAAs, the current top Israeli SPAA is the Machbet which is just a glorified M163 VADS with a quad Stinger launcher and IR tracking instead of the crappy AN/VPS-2, but most people assume the only SPAA that could come after that is the SPYDER-AIO which is too powerful for the current ground RB meta, right? Well, today I will introduce you to one of the two SPAAs that Israel could get between the Machbet and SPYDER-AIO.
everyone, meet the HVSD/ADAMS.
Description
The HVSD/ADAMS (High-Value Site Defense / Air Defense Advanced Mobile System) is a hybrid SPAA/CIWS which is based on a Mercedes-Benz 6x6 truck. The HVSD/ADAMS’s main armaments are a Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM and 12 Barak-1 SAMs. It has an optional electro-optic that the crew can use to directly control the Mk.15 Phalanx and guide Barak-1 SAMs using SACLOS, but we have no images of said electro-optic. It was presented at the Paris Air Show in 1991 and developed further into the 1990s, but no trace of it was found in the 21st century.
Myth-Busting
There is quite a lot of misinformation about the HVSD/ADAMS floating online, either in internet webpages discussing it, in online discussions, or even in the sources themselves. Using the power of information elimination, and a whole lot of research, I was able to gather enough info to bust a few myths about this vehicle.
Myth number 1: “Jane’s Land-Based Air Defence 1992-93 says that the HVSD/ADAMS was just a mockup! You can’t suggest this vehicle since Gaijin does not accept mockups!”
The image from the Jane’s book is indeed of the mockup. Notice I said “the”. The vehicle on display is clearly a mockup, unlike any other image of the HVSD/ADAMS, and we can tell that simply by observing it:
Direct comparison of the mockup and prototype:
Spoiler
- The mockup is a 4x4 truck, not a single source mentions a configuration of the HVSD/ADAMS as a 4x4 truck and all of the other images show a 6x6 truck.
- The Mk.15 Phalanx is facing forward on the mockup, but it is rotated on the prototype.
- The mockup HVSD/ADAMS has a mockup Barak-1 on display right out of the launcher, whereas the prototype does not.
- There is visible wiring and a visible lifting arm for the launcher on the prototype, but not on the mockup.
- On the images from the Paris air show (view “Gallery” section) we can see the Mk.15 Phalanx presented in two different turret orientations, which means it is fully functional.
- There is a close-up image (view “Gallery” section) of the control panel of the HVSD/ADAMS. A mockup won’t have that.
- The same Jane’s book mentions a 6x6 truck configuration as a proposal for the Thai army, and the Croatian magazine directly refers to the HVSD/ADAMS as a prototype/test vehicle.
- There are a lot of weird white stripes on the mockup, the prototype lacks them.
Myth number 2: “Isn’t this just an oversized M163?”
No, little Timmy, perhaps you completely ignored the giant and very obvious missile launcher on the back of the truck. I am only mentioning this because I am simply surprised at the number of people who did not realize the HVSD/ADAMS carries missiles. In addition, the Vulcan on the Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM is quite a bit superior to the M168 Vulcan on the M163 VADS, but more on that in the “General Information” and “Specifications” sections.
**Myth number 3: ** The HVSD/ADAMS does not fit War Thunder since it is completely autonomous.
I thought so too at first, but it seems that many sources indicate that the HVSD/ADAMS can optionally use an electro-optic FLIR unit and that the Barak-1 SAMs can operate in SACLOS mode. No images of said FLIR unit are available on the HVSD/ADAMS, but considering this is the Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM specifically, perhaps it refers to the FLIR unit that the Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B uses on ships? Gaijin would need to give the HVSD/ADAMS a bit of a “Yak-141 treatment”, but we definitely have enough info to prove it can operate manually.
Either way, the idea of a fully autonomous SPAA/CIWS in War Thunder sounds interesting to me, so I left a poll option for you guys to vote wherever you’d want such a thing in War Thunder.
Translation: The Israeli hybrid SPAA system HVSD/ADAMS, whose development is ongoing
The image is from the Croatian magazine
General Information
Armor and survivability
Not much to say here, it is an armored truck so there is not much armor to speak of. The search and track radars of the Mk.15 Phalanx are protected by a thin sheet of armor so they are safer from artillery shrapnel and rifle-caliber machine guns than most search and track radars on other platforms. The same goes for the Barak-1 missiles, which are protected in the launching box and their individual launch containers. Damaging the HVSD/ADAMS’s components with rifle-caliber machine guns and artillery shrapnel is quite difficult, but the crew in the cabin and the console are not as protected and can easily die to those threats.
Mobility and maneuverability
The HVSD/ADAMS is based on a Mercedes-Benz NG 2636 A 6x6 truck (unsure if this is the exact model) powered by an OM 423 V10 360hp engine and a ZF 16S130 manual-gearbox transmission with 16 forward gears and 2 reverse gears.
The weight of the HVSD/ADAMS isn’t clear, but we can estimate it:
<Mercedes-Benz NG 2636 A 6x6 curb weight> + <Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM weight> + <Barak-1 weight x 12> + <added 1 ton to accommodate for miscellaneous stuff like the flatbed trailer and other systems>
10200kg+ 6200kg + (98kg x 12) + 1000kg = 18576kg = 18.57 ton
The calculation might look too low-weight from a first glance when compared to other toptier wheeled SPAAs ingame, but it actually makes perfect sense considering the HVSD/ADAMS was designed to be air-transportable by a C-130, which means its weight can’t be higher than 19.09 tons (C-130’s maximum allowed payload).
Now that we know the rough weight of the HVSD/ADAMS, we can calculate its horsepower-to-weight ratio: 19.38hp/t. This horsepower-to-weight ratio is pretty decent, and almost double compared to the average hp/t of toptier wheeled SAM SPAAs which are mostly found around 10hp/t-13hp/t. This, and the fact that the HVSD/ADAMS uses a transmission with 16 forward gears, means that it should be able to quickly get to key positions in the map and quickly change location or evacuate from an attacked position. The HVSD/ADAMS is by no means a speed demon, and its reverse is quite lacking at only 2 reverse gears, but it should mean you will have far superior mobility compared to other SPAAs around toptier. Maneuverability is quite mediocre, as this is still a huge 6x6 truck, so turning it around will take a while.
Radars and electro-optics
The HVSD/ADAMS uses the search and track radars of the Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM: a digital MTI search radar using the Ku band (14-15Ghz) and a Pulse-Doppler monopulse track radar using the same Ku band as well. Both radars have a range of 20km, and the search radar can input up to 40 targets at once (irrelevant to War Thunder, or at least to ground battles). The track radar can lock targets in TWS mode which prevents an RWR spike on the target’s end. An electro-optic is confirmed to be present, but does it appear in any of the images. I estimate that it is probably the Leonardo-Phalanx thermal imager of the Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM.
Armaments, FCS and ammunition
The HVSD/ADAMS uses two main armaments: the Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM and the Barak-1 sea/surface-to-air missile.
The Mk.15 Phalanx is a well-known weapon system, it can engage enemy aircraft and helicopters but was primarily made to engage incoming munitions. The one on the HVSD/ADAMS is the Block 1B PSuM, we know this because it makes use of the longer L/99 version of the Vulcan and has a max depression of -25°. The Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM also has an incredibly high rate of elevation and traverse, as well as an amazing elevation range of -25°/80°. More information can be seen in the “Specifications” section. Either way, the Mk.15 Phalanx has an amazing reaction time and will make sure you will always be able to react to any surprise threat. Oh, almost forgot, the Mk.15 Phalanx also makes use of Mk.149 DU APDS, it is supposed to be used to intercept incoming aircraft munitions, but it should be quite useful against ground units too, especially with the hyper-accuracy and 4500rds/min fire rate of the Mk.15 Phalanx…
The Barak-1 is an Israeli naval vertically-launched missile created mostly to intercept incoming missiles as well as enemy aircraft. On the HVSD/ADAMS, each Barak-1 is stored inside a launcher-container of its own, which seats in the launcher box on the rear of the truck. Its 720m/s max speed and 12km max range might look weak at first glance, but don’t let those values make you think this is a mediocre missile! The Barak-1 is a very, very maneuverable missile with pinpoint hit accuracy. Fun fact: In 1987, it was announced that trials (not on the HVSD/ADAMS, just the Barak-1 specifically) had confirmed that the Barak-1 achieved a direct hit intercepting a TOW ATGM which emulated an incoming skimmer missile.
Still don’t believe me? Here are a couple of videos of Barak-1 maneuvering that might convince you:
Barak-1 archives this extreme maneuverability thanks to thrust vectoring fins, which it can jettison if it needs to.
Extremely rare image of the thrust deflectors of the Barak-1 I managed to gather from the archived Jane’s website from 2002 on page 381
Barak-1 can also be guided either directly through the Phalanx radar in ACLOS (Active Command Line Of Sight) mode, or through the electro-optic in SACLOS (Semi-Automatic Command Line Of Sight) mode. It can also travel to the target in one of 3 interception modes:
- 3-point method (called “LOS” ingame) - where the electro-optic/radar, target, and missile are on the same line. This is the standard guidance mode for most SAMs ingame. It provides visual feedback on the missile but causes it to waste energy by keeping itself in the line of sight with the electro-optic.
- 2-point method (called “Lead” ingame) - present exclusively on the TOR M1 and Pantsir S1 as of making this suggestion, in this interception mode the electro-optic/radar and target are on the same line but the missile takes its own path to the target. Compared to the 3-point method, the 2-point method has a more efficient path for the missile where it maneuvers less by traveling directly to the interception point and thus consumes less energy. However, the missile is often completely outside the line of sight of the electro-optic or radar (depends on guidance mode), and thus the operator has no visual feedback on the missile and can’t know if it missed the target or if it is still in pursuit.
- loft trajectory method - This is an interception method exclusive to Barak-1. Think of it as a slightly different version of the 2-point method: instead of immediately beginning to intercept the target, the Barak-1 first climbs to a higher altitude (roughly the same as the target) and then proceeds to intercept the target similarly to the 2-point method, except now in a shallow dive at thinner air which means it has way more effective energy usage.
Each interception mode is better used on different ranges: Between 2km to 4km you should use the 3-point method as the Barak-1 has ample energy at that range and you need maximum control over the missile. Between 4km to 8km you should use the 2-point method so the Barak-1 has more energy to hit the target. Above 8km you should use the loft trajectory method to maximize energy consumption efficiency. The loft trajectory method has amazing energy efficiency, but at the cost of a delayed time to intercept compared to the 3-point and 2-point method, so you should avoid using it at short ranges.
“But ofekk213, what if the target aircraft is closer than 2km?”
Luckily for you, the Barak-1’s extreme maneuverability and minimum engagement range of 500m ensures it stays efficient at engaging enemies even in close ranges.
And what if there is a helicopter closer than 500m??
WELL FOR THAT YOU HAVE THE
Okay, I’ve been dragging this subsection for long enough, one final thing about the Barak-1 SAM: it has a ginormous 22kg warhead. Yea. The Barak-1 also has a small explosion radius of just 3m so it has quite a concentrated explosion force. I don’t care how “broken” and “overperforming” the damage model of the Ka-50 or Su-25 is, they and any other aircraft will be vaporized if a Barak-1 intercepts them and you can be sure of that.
Live footage of Ka-50 crew being hit from a Barak-1 (The Ka-50’s broken damage model did not save them)
Demonstration of Barak-1’s loft trajectory interception method
How would it perform in War Thunder?
The HVSD/ADAMS would be quite a potent AA in ground RB, with its extremely lethal Barak-1 SAMs it would be able to intercept any aircraft in close ranges and be overall much harder to dodge compared to other SAMs. In addition, the HVSD/ADAMS can also intercept incoming guided bombs and missiles with greater efficiency than other SAMs thanks to its optimized radars and weapons for that role. The HVSD/ADAMS would also be able to relocate quicker than most SPAAs around the higher BRs thanks to its relatively high horsepower-to-weight ratio. The HVSD/ADAMS would be able to engage enemy ground units as well, with 1550 Mk.149 APDS rounds it would be an incredibly dangerous opponent, but it has very limited gun depression when the Phalanx is facing forward or rearward, so the HVSD/ADAMS could potentially be caught in a position where it cannot aim at an opponent if the vehicle’s mobility is disabled. Overall, this will be an amazing addition for the Israeli ground forces, which will also not completely obliterate the meta like the SPYDER-AIO would.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Great mobility.
- Slight protection to components from rifle-caliber machine guns and artillery shrapnel.
- Amazing Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM with an insane fire rate and accuracy.
- Mk.149 APDS for intercepting air munitions and harassing enemy ground units.
- Extremely potent Barak-1 missiles: giant warhead, highly maneuverable, effective even at very close ranges and up to 12km.
- Mk.15 Phalanx is stabilized and can fire on the move
- Optional: If implemented, ACLOS guidance mode can make it easier to guide the Barak-1 in long ranges as it bypasses the shakiness of mouse-aim by guiding the Barak-1 through radar.
- Optional: Fully autonomous mode will allow players to let the HVSD/ADAMS do the work for them, engaging enemies on its own. In theory, this mode would give players better awareness of incoming enemy aircraft and would be best used by engaging it when there are no active threats and switching to manual mode if the autonomous mode failed to kill the target.
Cons:
- Giant truck, a big target, and hard to hide and maneuver around.
- Mk.15 Phalanx has next to no gun depression in the front and rear arcs.
- Not much armor, crew is very vulnerable to blast overpressure and enemy fire.
- You can’t fire Barak-1s on the move.
History
Not much is known about the HVSD/ADAMS, so this section will be brief.
In the early 1990s, Rafael and General Dynamics came together in a joint venture to create a new land-based air-defense system using air-defense weapons from naval units. This new air defense system would be based on the ADAMS, which was Rafael’s original solo take on the idea. Rafael brought their Barak-1 vertically-launched SAMs and General Dynamics brought their Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM, and after they put it all on a Mercedes-Benz NG 2636 A 6x6 truck, the HVSD/ADAMS was born. The HVSD/ADAMS was first revealed as a mockup in 1991 at the Paris Air Show, and it was continuously developed into the 90s. The HVSD/ADAMS was offered for the US MoD early into development, but they rejected it. It is not clear how and why, but somewhere around the early 2000s, the development of the HVSD/ADAMS was finally terminated due to a lack of customers. Israel did not need it as mobile anti-air units were already becoming increasingly obsolete in IDF service thanks to Israel’s multi-dome protection strategy (Arrow ABM for long ranges, David’s Sling and MIM-104 for medium ranges, Iron Dome for short ranges). There are some rumors that Venezuela acquired some version of ground-launched Barak-1s, but it is not the HVSD/ADAMS system.
Issues
Usually, when I make a suggestion I am quite sure of the information I provide about a vehicle. However, there are some holes in the information about the HVSD/ADAMS which I feel like I need to point out:
- The Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM technically only entered service in 1999, how could it be tested on the HVSD/ADAMS before that? All of the sources provide information that indicates this is clearly the Block 1B PSuM and not the Block 1A or any other earlier variant of the Mk.15 Phalanx. Perhaps General Dynamics specifically brought a prototype of the Block 1B PSuM for testing?
- As I mentioned multiple times, the HVSD/ADAMS is known to have an electro-optic as a fact, but we do not know which electro-optic it was or where is it installed on the HVSD/ADAMS. There is a good chance that it is the Leonardo-Phalanx FLIR from the Block 1B, but it could also be an electro-optic from Rafael installed on a completely different area on the truck. A vehicle can’t be added to War Thunder without an optic from which the gunner-operator can look from. I believe this issue is the primary reason the HVSD/ADAMS was not added to the game yet.
- There are multiple large boxes on the HVSD/ADAMS which seem to have additional Barak-1 missiles, but none of the sources mention anything about additional missiles, in fact, they all specifically say the HVSD/ADAMS carries 12 Barak-1s.
- There is next to no information about the development of the HVSD/ADAMS, and very little additional info online. Everything you see on this suggestion is pretty much all of what I know about it.
I hope that in the future I can speak to some higher-ups at Rafael and get to know the HVSD/ADAMS better.
Specifications
Mobility and maneuverability
- Chassis name: Mercedes-Benz NG 2636 A 6x6
- Chassis type: 6x6 off-road military truck
- crew: 3
- Weight (calculated, might not be 100% accurate): 18.5t
- Engine name: OM423 V10
- Engine output: 360hp
- Transmission: 16-speed hydromechanical (16 forward gears, 2 reverse gears)
- Max speed:
- Forward: 90km/h
- Reverse: ~10km/h
- Power-to-Weight ratio: 19.38hp/t
- Drive wheels: 16
- Wheels: 16
Radar and electro-optic
- Radar Range: 20km
- Radar Band: Ku
- Radar Operating frequency range: 14GHz-15Ghz
- Radar Power in an impulse: 25kW
- Radar Number of simultaneously tracked targets: 40
- Radar Guidance antenna beamwidth
- In the vertical plane: 1.4°
- In the horizontal plane: 2.6°
- Radar Coordinate accuracy:
- in range: 1.5m
- in elevation: 0.7mrad
- Electro-optic variable FoV: 6°-2°
- Electro-optic variable zoom: 12x-36x
- Electro-optic FLIR generation: 1st gen (640 x 480 resolution in the 8-12 µm spectral band)
Electro-optic specs are for the Leonardo-Phalanx FLIR
Mk.15 Phalanx Block 1B PSuM
- Main armament: M61A1 Vulcan L/99
- Cartridge: 20x102mmR
- Rate of fire: 4500 rounds/min
- Muzzle velocity: 1100m/s
- Projectile dispersion: 1.4mrad
- Vertical gun traverse range (provided traverse is not obscured by vehicle parts):
- Maximum elevation: +85°
- Maximum depression: -25°
- Horizontal turret traverse range:
- Maximum left swiveling: 167.5°
- Maximum right swiveling: 167.5°
- Turret and gun traverse speeds:
- In the vertical plane: 90°/s
- In the horizontal plane: 110°/s
Barak-1 SAM
- Diameter: 170mm
- Projectile mass: 98kg
- Maximum speed: 720m/s
- Guidance modes:
- Automatic Command Line Of Sight (ACLOS)
- Semi-automatic Command Line Of Sight (SACLOS)
- Interception modes:
- 3-point method (called “LOS” ingame)
- 2-point method (called “Lead” ingame)
- Loft trajectory method
- Climb: 85° above the horizon
- Dive: 25° below the horizon
- Firing range: 0.5km-12km
- Warhead weight: 22kg
- Trigger radius: 3m
- Arming distance 500m
- Missile activation time after launch: 0.6s
- length: 2.175m
- rudders span: 580mm
- wings span: 685mm
- Launcher-container diameter (of a single one): 300 x 350 x 2500 mm
Gallery
Spoiler
HVSD/ADAMS illustration, based on the mockup:
The scale model of the HVSD/ADAMS presented in the 1991 Paris Air Show, looks very different from the prototype, has the search radar put on a horizontally fixed stand, and is based on a different 8x8 truck.
Sources
Spoiler
- Jane’s Land Based Air-Defense 1992-1993 - https://ftp.idu.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/ebook/tdg/ADNVANCED%20MILITARY%20PLATFORM%20DESIGN/Janes%20Land-Based%20Air%20Defence%201992-93%20by%20Tony%20Cullen,%20Christopher%20F.%20Foss%20(z-lib.org).pdf
- hrvatski vojnik broj 1995 (Croatian magazine) - 370272341-hv-004-95-04.pdf - Google Drive
- Russian book about HVSD/ADAMS (website cites it) - TARGET&ЗВО
- Archived Jane’s website from 2002 - 275357059-Jane-s-Strategic-Weapon-Systems.pdf - Google Drive
- A whole lot of research hours spent on finding every inch of information about this vehicle
Final words
After so long I finally made a suggestion about the HVSD/ADAMS where I really feel I shared any and every piece of info I know about it. The suggestion on the old forum lacked a lot of info and had a lot of wrong information so now I feel very satisfied fixing it. I hope that one-day Gaijin will give this vehicle to Israel, it is my 2nd favourite Israeli vehicle (next to the Sholef V2, of course) and I would really want to learn more about it in the future. I hope that with time more information about the HVSD/ADAMS will be revealed. But for now, that is all friends.
Oh, and one last thing (I promise, I know this suggestion is huge), since the HVSD/ADAMS was co-developed with an American company as well, and it was offered to the US MoD, it could technically also be added to the US. Just saying, it is possible if they have no other alternative.
Anyhow, I was ofekk213 and I will see y’all around next time!
