MBDA MEADS (Aris AGC-170 II)

Il_Signor_Regio · July 4, 2025, 1:21pm

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Description: The MBDA MEADS was an multinational programme aimed at overcoming various shortcomings of already existing sistems and guarantee complete interoperability between US and allied countries.

History

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In the late eighties, the US Army and US Marine Corps decided to develop a new anti-air defense system that could effectively replace the aging Raytheon MIM-23 Hawk missile in its various versions and derivatives. A big milestone was achieved in 1995, when the program became a multinational joint venture between the US, Italy, and Germany, creating the MEADS (Medium Extended Air Defence System) International joint company, based in Florida, with Lockheed Martin, MBDA Italy, and MBDA Germany on board. After the establishment of the JV, the first delay occurred, as one of the opposers of LM, Raytheon, presented a formal complaint to the US government, which slowed down the program significantly. Although severely harmed by this event, the company was able to test the system for the first time in 2003 at an LM facility in New York. One year later, the MOU (memorandum of understanding) between three countries was finally signed, and the workshare % of the project was decided: 58% for the USA, 25% for Germany, and 17% for Italy. In 2010, after 6 years of development, a test campaign was started in order to demonstrate the BCM4I, a very interesting and useful system that allowed the MEADS to receive data from a platform not integrated into the system, thus allowing far better interoperability with any partner. It was also a very important year for Italy, as the first (and only) prototype of a full MEADS battery (radar vehicle and launcher) based on the Aris AGC-170 II truck for the Italian air force was made and tested one year later at Pratica Di Mare facilities, where the fire control radar was fully integrated with the other platforms of a MEADS battery. In the coming years, various live-fire tests were conducted at the White Sands shooting ground in the US with the new PAC-3 MSE missile, derived from the Patriot battery. But even after these encouraging results, so far none of the three partners had committed any order to the consortium, with the US even denying any possible procurement due to budgetary reasons. Only Germany seemed to be the only one going to place an order, as happened in 2015, but it was soon sent into limbo, as the contract was never actually signed, and in the end the Luftwaffe went with the standard American Patriot. From the Italian side, the situation was even less clear, as the only thing that was heard was dead silence. The Italian air force, after acquiring the first prototype, never mentioned or said anything about the system again and would have eventually chosen the Italian-French SAMPT/NG in 2022, for a total of 5 batteries. To these days, the fate of the prototype battery is unknow and the programme itselfe was very likely silently cancelled.

About the truck

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As previously mentioned, the truck employed by this battery is the Aris AGC-170 II, a fairly unique vehicle developed and produced by the Italian company Aris s.p.a. The pretty unique and unusual configuration of the vehicle is dictated by a single requirement: being airlifted by a C130J four-engine transport aircraft in service within the Italian air force without any modification to the vehicle itself.

The cabin can also be fitted with additional armor, similar to the one of the American HIMARS rocket launcher.
Specifications:

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Pictures

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About the missile

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The missile used by this battery is the PAC-3 MSE (Missile Segment Upgrade), an upgrade over the standard PAC-3 initially planned only for the MEADS system. Compared to older versions, the PAC-3 MSE features a good number of improvements, such as increased range and engagement altitude thanks to a new dual-pulse motor, which increases the missile’s performance significantly, larger fins, and improved maneuverability. The launcher can accomodate up to 8 missiles, even thought some renders showed a max of 12, and it is accomodated on the Aris AGC-170 II.

Specifications and imagines

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About the radar

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To track and engage a target, the MEADS battery operates an X-band, solid-state, phased-array Multi-Function Fire Control Radar (MFCR) with a 360° turning angle. It has been described by the manufacturer as a very precise and accurate radar, capable of identifying a target quickly, and thanks to its compact dimensions and design, it can be airlifted by a C130J and repositioned quickly, being less vulnerable to various menaces than other comparable systems. It can also work as surveillance until the dedicated radar is available.

Specifications

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