- Yes
- No
Introduction
The Warrior Mechanised Infantry Combat Vehicle was developed in response to the continually progressing requirements of British and NATO forces during the Cold War. It was intended to replace the FV432 Armoured Personnel Carrier and was designed to keep pace with the Challenger 1 while providing protection, firepower, and mobility for infantry. The Warrior entered service in the late 1980s, becoming a core component of the British Army’s armoured infantry units. With a combat weight of 28 tonnes, in its standard IFV role it was equipped with a 30mm Rarden cannon, optional Milan missiles, and powered by a Rolls-Royce Condor engine.
A huge array of Warrior variants were developed to meet specific operational needs, including variants like the Desert Warrior, in-game in the British tree. A unique and lesser-known variant of the Warrior was the Low Profile Warrior, developed in response to the British Army’s Future Lightweight Armoured Vehicles (FLAV) requirement in the late 1980s. This lightweight version was designed for carriage by C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. During US trials, the vehicle proved its ability to be airlifted by departing the trials in a C-130 in a continuous flight back to the UK. This lower profile was achieved by considerably lowering the hull, as well as removing a roadwheel and shortening the vehicle, although this aspect was developed after the assembly of the Warrior ADATS.
The ADATS (Air Defense Anti-Tank System) was developed by Oerlikon Contraves in the 1980s, with its first system delivered in 1988. It is a versatile, short-range air defense system capable of engaging both air and ground targets, featuring 8 ready-to-fire missiles with a 10km+ range. It can be mounted on wheeled, tracked, or palleted systems, and saw moderate export success with a Canadian purchas, however a major US order fell through, which left the system without much momentum on the international market.
The vehicle being discussed in this suggestion is the Low Profile Warrior Air Defence Anti-Tank System (ADATS), as displayed at the British Army Equipment Exhibition, Farnborough 1988. Both the Warrior and ADATS were in their infancy in the late 1980s, so this arrangement was mutually beneficial for both parties, proving the adaptability and capabilities of both the chassis and the turret. This project was taken no further by the British or the Swiss, but it undoubtedly contributed positively towards the modest export success of both systems.
In-game, this could either be added alongside, or replace, the current Canadian ADATS for top-tier Britain, as it would have mobility more in line with the US ADATS, instead of an M113 chassis, which would be a nice QoL change for top tier British SPAA, and it would make much more sense to have a domestic vehicle in the tree, instead of a functionally identical foreign vehicle.
Specifications
Spoiler
Images
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Side-by-side of the ADATS turret as installed on the Warrior and Swiss MOWAG Shark
A turret that appears visually identical to the one mounted on the Warrior, instead mounted on an M113, launching a missile.
Sources
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Janes International Defence Review, 1988, Issue 9, Page 1158
ADATS Missile System Brochure, Oerlikon Military Products - cheers to @DevilO6 for this one
Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle - Think Defence
https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_pdf.cfm?DACH_RECNO=442
https://www.army-technology.com/projects/adats/?cf-view
https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_old_pdf.cfm?ARC_ID=1057
