Innovative guided missile system for submarines

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Innovative guided missile system for submarines

Today Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), a company within ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, and Diehl BGT Defence (DBD) received the Technology Award of the German Defence Industry for 2007 in the category of Exceptional Award. The award was given to Joachim Reuter (HDW) and Klaus-Eberhard Möller (DBD) for their ongoing work on the IDAS project.

This prize is awarded every year by the Defence Industry Committee of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). It is designed to provide recognition of the defence-political impact of innovations in the field of defence technology. The two Project Officers received the award in a formal presentation in Berlin today.

"IDAS" stands for "Interactive Defence and Attack System for Submarines", a guided missile that can be fired and deployed from a fully submerged submarine. It is conceived primarily for employment in self-defence against anti-submarine helicopters, but can also be used against surface seaborne targets and targets on land. For the first time, deep dived submarines are capable of active self-defence measures.

Unlike existing missile systems, IDAS remains in contact with the submarine via a fine fibre-optic wire. This fibre-optic connection provides a constant image feedback to the submarine via an infra-red camera installed within the missile. This enables the operator to make short-term adjustments to the target or to abort the mission.
The first flight trials with IDAS were successfully completed at the end of last year. The Working Group ARGE IDAS was set up to carry out the project, and HDW is spokesman for the group.