Key Data
Diameter: 53cm
Length: Without booster: 5.6 m
With booster: 6.45 m
Motor: Lyran Arms AB112 turbofan with solid-fuel booster
Launch mass: 1510kg
Wingspan: 2.7m
Warhead: Variable
Guidance: GPS, INS, Cromwell 2 (if available), DSMAC, ARH, IR, TERCOM, IMU
Fuzes: Variable, depending on selected by missile.
Speed: 880kph
Range: 3000km
Conceptualisation
The LY589 Hellion is a long-range, all-weather, multi-role, fourth generation subsonic cruise missile. Designed and built by Lyran Arms for a wide variety of roles, it was designed primarily as a medium- to extreme-range, low-altitude, surface-to-surface or air-to-surface missile that could be launched from a variety of platforms against a variety of targets. During initial concept development, the missile changed from a fairly conventional (albeit advanced) cruise missile into arguably the most intelligent and technologically sophisticated multi-role guided munition in the world.
Background
Since the 1987 NATO-Warsaw Pact Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, ground-launched cruise missiles, particularly those capable of carrying tactical or strategic nuclear weapons, have been notably absent from the armies and thought processes of the vast majority of world powers. Not being a signatory to the 1987 INF treaty, Lyras nevertheless chose to wait until it felt more secure in its position before embarking on a program that so obviously completely ignored the position underlined by the landmark treaty.
Lyran strategic analysis of this era concluded that the likely primary combatant element of ground forces into the foreseeable future was the main battle tank, and that force-on-force main battle tank engagements would define many of the conflicts around the world. While confident in the Research and Development Commission's ability to design and produce a high quality tank (confidence that was well placed, as circumstances would have it), Executive Command nevertheless directed several disparate conceptual, strategic and developmental organisations to devise a means of tilting the odds in favour of Lyran forces prior to the commencement of the direct-fire land battle. As Lyras began to lean more towards the employment of expeditionary forces, acknowledgement of the diverse threat environment placed an absolute premium on system flexibility and situational responsiveness, at tactical, operational and strategic levels. Discussions quickly turned to the reintroduction of ground-launched cruise missiles as a highly combat-effective means of long-range surface-to-surface force projection.
The most recently developed cruise missile was the LY4045 anti-ship missile, based itself upon the venerable BGM-109 Tomahawk. The LY4045 was slightly wider, slightly shorter, and was fractionally heavier, although its tabulated data was notably different. The LY4045, coupled with the LY300 “Manticore” Multiple Rocket System, was responsible for a number of stunningly successful strikes against a multitude of targets, most notably including the destruction of the Avrisonian 7th Fleet.
The Hellion was developed from there, and was based upon the idea of using 'smart' cruise missiles as a means of delivering maximum precision destruction, or wide area lethality in as short a time as possible, with a minimum chance of avoidance or interception.
During the critical early days of a regional conflict, Hellion, in conjunction with other systems, denies or delays forward movement of enemy forces, neutralises the enemy's ability to conduct air operations, and suppresses or destroys hostile air defenses. In addition, Hellion can comfortably attack high value targets such as powerplants, observation posts, shipping lanes or harbours, command and control facilities, factories and/or materiel depots. The Hellion has, since its introduction, become the weapon of choice with which to commence hostilities, and its combat envelope has become a key planning factor for consideration of operational circumstances.
Warheads
The Hellion can carry a very wide range of warheads, including (but not limited to) HEDP submunitions, thermobaric warheads, high-yield unitary anti-ship, tandem-charge anti-shipping, area-denial, delayed-fuse/bunker-buster munitions, and, perhaps most spectacularly, wide-area guided anti-vehicle (WAGAV).
HEDP (High Explosive, Dual Purpose) submunitions are, in effect, a large number of smaller explosives that are scattered by the Hellion at a designated location, covering a wide area with explosive ordnance. Effect at attacking large numbers of infantry or light-to-medium vehicles in open or semi-open terrain, HEDP submunitions are cheap on a per-unit basis, and can turn vast amounts of ground into killing zones.
The Hellion is also often equipped with thermobaric warheads. Thermobaric weapons go by several other names, including fuel-air explosives, fuel-air munitions, high-impulse thermobaric weapons, vacuum bombs, or heat and pressure weapons. Thermobaric weapons distinguish themselves from conventional explosive weapons by using atmospheric oxygen, instead of carrying an oxidiser in their explosives. They produce more explosive energy for a given size than do other conventional explosives, but have the downside of being less predictable in their effect. A typical fuel air explosive device consists of a container of fuel and two separate explosive charges. After the munition is dropped or fired, the first explosive charge bursts open the container at a predetermined height and disperses the fuel in a cloud that mixes with atmospheric oxygen (the size of the cloud varies with the size of the thermobaric device). The cloud of fuel flows around objects and into structures. The second charge then detonates the cloud, creating a massive blast wave. (For a demonstration of a thermobaric explosion.) The blast wave destroys unreinforced buildings and equipment and kills and injures personnel. The antipersonnel effect of the blast wave is more severe in foxholes, on personnel with body armor, inside unsealed vehicles, and in enclosed spaces such as caves, buildings, and bunkers.
Based as it is on the LY4045 anti-ship cruise missile, the Hellion continues to excel in the role. Anti-ship missiles use several means of causing damage to shipping, including igniting unspent fuel, concussive shock and standard HE effects. Anti-ship Hellion variants are time-delayed, semi-armour-piercing high explosive, and are very closely related to the LY4045 missiles upon which the Hellions are based. The weapons rely on kinetic energy to pierce the deck or hull of a ship, then detonate the warhead in the ship's interior. They are very long ranged, sea-skimming, high subsonic weapons, with very low radar reflectivity, and jamming-resistant guidance modules.
Area denial warheads scatter submunitions over a wide area, set with proximity fuzes coupled with inertial sensors. After the warheads stop moving, as determined by the inertial systems, the proximity fuzes and motion sensors are activated, and any further disturbance triggers the explosive. Area denial munitions are deployed to prevent enemy movement through a given area without extensive delay. The submunitions can be set to last for up to a week, before self-destructing, thus ensuring that any given area is not rendered hazardous to civilians into the medium term.
Delay-fuse warheads operate similarly to anti-ship warheads, in that they delay the ignition of their explosive natures, so as to allow the warhead's kinetic energy to cause penetrate into its target prior to detonation. Similar weapons have been dubbed “bunker-busters” for their ability to destroy hardened targets. These weapons are also highly effective at cratering airfields, thus rendering them temporarily inoperative.
Wide area guided anti-vehicle warheads (WAGAVs) are a relatively newly developed Lyran warhead, based upon the long-known SADARM concept. Generally equipped with 30 HEAT submunitions WAGAV-equipped Hellions are targetted from launch as normal, but these submunitions, while still onboard the Hellion, are assigned targets as located by either the Hellion's own integral sensory systems, which include radar, IR, thermal imaging and visual recognition programs, or by designator from friendly forces by laser, satellite, GPS or Cromwell. Upon arriving at the appropriate target area, Hellion triggers the release of the submunitions. Once fired, they independently track, close, correct and engage their targets from above. These warheads have been specifically designed to destroy hostile armoured units, or dispersed high-value targets such as anti-aircraft batteries, emplaced command and control facilities or ammuntion and fuel resupply areas. A conceptual illustration of how WAGAV warheads would operate in the field is given below.
Operational Diagram
Guidance, Networking and AI
Hellion features arguably the most advanced artificial intelligence software package of any combat munition in existance. Utilising EMP-resistant GaAs (Gallium Arsenide) circuitry and an uplink to the Cromwell II battlespace information system, Hellion represents a significant step up in networked precision high-lethality firepower delivery.
The centrepiece of Hellion as a weapons system is its artifical intelligence, networking and sensory sophistication. By channeling a portion of the computational power delivered by the massively parallel processing capability generated by the Cromwell 2 battlespace integration system, Hellion features the most adaptive and responsive artifical intelligence system Lyran Arms has devised or encountered, and offers the firing entity many unique and versatile means of achieving target destruction, along with a whole host of other combat effects.
The command-linked automatic inputs to Hellion's AI enable the missile itself to plan, recalculate, analyse, abort, re-target, evade and engage autonomously. Continual uplinks from the Cromwell II allow the on-board computer system to remain completely aware of the battlespace situation, including known and estimated enemy force concentrations or positions, anticipated rates of advance, combat air patrols, detection equipment and so forth. The missile then, while enroute, and cogniscent of entered rules of engagement and theatre target priorities, can adjust its course in-flight to avoid located enemy positions, respond to a more urgent or alternate target request, or, upon detection of a more crucial target, autonomously engage it.
Hellion's integral sensory suite enables the missile itself to perform IR, active and passive radar, EM, EW, MAD and thermal information reconnaissance itself, often precluding the use of further assets for co-ordination of ensuing strikes.
The system, at any point during its pre-flight or mid-flight engagement sequence, can be over-ruled, altered, aborted or otherwise directed by the firing vehicle, although such input is not required to maintain targetting feasibility.
The constant information stream and computational sophistication serves to maximise the Hellion's probability of successful engagement, and, together with a veritable host of direct sensory input on the missile itself, allows each individial Hellion to, in conjunction with its peers and the wider Cromwell datalink, determine how it may best serve the interests of its firer, by assessing the available range of targets, on a millisecond-by-millisecond basis.
Propulsion
The LY589 is powered by a Lyran Arms AB112 turbofan with solid-fuel booster, which delivers 12,550lbf (ie 56kN) at rated maximum. The weapon is in no way required to utilise all the available power, nor all available fuel, and, particularly where thermobaric warheads are loaded, may well attempt to add its own fuel stockpile to the strike. The engine itself is very fuel efficient for its size and power, and goes a long way towards generating the Hellion's increase in range over its LY4045 and BGM-109 predecessors. The motor, when coupled with the AI and the LY589's integral flight controls, have allowed many a Hellion to loiter over the battlefield, so as to respond faster to time-critical strike requirements, as directed by manual input, as selected by Cromwell, or as determined by the weapon itself, according to rules of engagement. The modular nature of the Hellion does, however, allow for the substitution of alternate engines, should local conditions or manufacturing preferences dictate.
Concept in operation
By way of illustrative example of Hellion in action, fourteen Hellions are fired from a single LY300 Manticore of 514th Artillery division, against a mobile enemy tank column engaging a mechanised infantry formation. Upon clearing the launcher, the missiles angle north towards the engagement zone. While in flight, Hellion 3, the furthest left, determines that a plateau several hundred metres outside its sensor range may be, according to analysis of enemy doctrine, an ideal location for an enemy surface-to-air missile battery. Hellion 3 automatically adjusts its flight path to allow its sensors to sweep the area. While initially detecting nothing, radar warning recievers catch a flicker of incoming RF radiation, and analyse the signal. The band is identified as consistent with hostile ground-surveillance radar, orientated towards the planned route of advance of friendly forces. Having therefore detected that there are indeed unidentified elements on the plateau, Hellion 3 adjusts to thermal imaging, and locates a number of vehicles. The missile then accesses its target identification protocols, and determines that the vehicles are of the type used by enemy forces to conduct tactical reconnaissance for a armoured brigade, a finding consistent, it determines, with the presence of ground-surveillance radar. Cross referencing data on tactical reconnaissance deployment and employment for brigade level operations, Hellion 3 proceeds to overlay an approximate schematic of anticipated further brigade deployment in the area. Having thusly generated a hypothesis, Hellion 3 will adjust this hypothesis further, based on further data available, and operational parameters for different subunits. In this instance, the location that had been tagged as the probable location of the brigade headquarters is discarded, due to the topography. While well protected, the position is a radio dead zone. Nothing in that area would be able to transmit without significant relay, and it is known from doctrine that this enemy unit type (ie, an armoured brigade) does not employ signals units large enough to cover the burden, were that location chosen. Recalculating, the missile determines the next most likely location, a ridge to the south-east of its first calculation, which by virtue of its location enjoys a substantially better communications envelope.
The area is heavily vegetated, and thus impervious to accurate radar scan. Further, the dense foliage and regular employment of IR suppressant camouflage netting by brigade level headquarters formations will prevent scan by thermal or IR imaging. Hellion 3, now several kilometers from the other 13 missiles that had been fired with it, then switches primary focus to the magnetic anomaly detector, and scours the area.
As calculated, the area utilises forces that match doctrine for a brigade-level hq element.
Activating target priority settings, pursuant to rules of engagement, Hellion 3 decides that the brigade headquarters is a more valuable target than the previously entered target, the mobile tank column. Other considerations, however, include the fact that the tank column was fired at in response to a request for firesupport put out by friendly mechanised infanty, who are defending the flank of the main supply route for 12th division. If the tank column is not struck, Cromwell has calculated that the advancing armour will likely destroy the defending forces, and in turn sever the main supply route for the division.
Multiple redundancy has already been employed, however. Twice as many hellions were fired at the tank column as was estimated to be required. Hellion 3 is likely not required. Having thus been given clearance to engage, Hellion 3 conducts a final cross-check of friendly positions. Establishing that there are none in the area, Hellion 3 once more overlays topographical, meteorlogical and doctrinal data to plan its attack route. Determining the best position for enemy AA systems, currently set at passive (assumed by the lack of active EM signals), Hellion 3 plots the presumptive locations of the three Tunguska systems employed at brigade level for air defence. A ridge will camouflage its approach if it presses in from the north west, and a dry river bed (assumed, given that meteorological data has noted this time as well into the dry season) will conceal Hellion 3's flight path in a looping arc clockwise from the south east to the north west, before the missile angles in towards the HQ. Lacking other viable means of defence penetration, Hellion 3 chooses to employ this avenue of attack.
Within 30 seconds Hellion 3 has entered the river bed, which was actually very much not dry, according to the TERCOM and TFR. Updating the meteorological data for Cromwell, which is then relayed across the battlespace, it continues on its flight, adjusting its flight path 3 metres upward in altitude to compensate for the deviation.
20 seconds beyond that, after threading its way along the river, Hellion 3 turns hard right, now snaking along below a ridge, on the other side of which was (presumptively) located the nearest of the three AA positions.
The ridge was rising, and Hellion 3 is now barely 1 kilometer from its target. Entering terminal phase, it angles sharply upwards, and sweeps the area properly for the last time, re-matching the locations of the enemy vehicles with that stored in its memory by use of the MAD.
Having detected no discrepancies, Hellion 3 assigns each of its 30 submunitions to a different target. Given that it has more submunitions than there are targets to engage, Hellion 3 automatically alots 2 submunitions per target.
At submunition release, each bomblet independently tracks its priority, adjusting its course to ensure a hit. Hellion 3 itself is banking hard right, waiting to assess impact before adding its own weight to the destruction.
There are 15 vehicles in the headquarters element's location, including two mobile command vehicles, three stores carriers, an armoured recovery vehicle, four 4x4s, a platoon of 4 tanks, and an APC. In the absence of interfering factors, each is hit, most twice. The HEAT warheads of the submunitions rip the vehicles to shreds, destorying all bar the tanks with no effort at all. One tank survived the first impact, but not the second, its top armour not able to withstand two HEAT impacts within less than a second.
The brigade hq destroyed, Hellion 3 pushes the information up to Cromwell, which makes the fact known across the battlespace. Hellion 3, now empty of submunitions, reports this fact also, and then doubles back on its flightpath to wards the nearest AA position.
The tunguska, now well aware of the presence of hostile forces, has just begun to track it. All of the brigade's air defence assets have, in fact, just gone active. It wont be enough. The turret slews around to bring its missile systems to bear, but in the 2 and a half seconds it takes to rotate 180 degrees, Hellion 3 has travelled 625m, slamming itself into the vehicle at 900kph. It may not have any explosives left, but the remaining fuel adds to the conflagration caused by the kinetic strike.
Three further salvos of 14 hellions are released, targetting Hellion 3's estimated locations of enemy forces.
At this point, only 4 LY300 Manticores have fired their first magazine of hellions.
Armour and protection synopsis
The LY589 features an extensive suite of active and passive protection systems. The primary means of protection is integral to the weapon's AI. In essence, the most obvious line of protection is the system reacting intelligently, addressing or responding to manifesting threats quickly and in accordance with pre-existing rules of engagement and target priority assessment parameters. Hellions under fire automatically manoeuver evasively, deploy active ECM, flares and chaff as appropriate. In certain circumstances, dependent upon the nature of the threat (and thus most commonly in response to surface-to-air systems), one or more Hellions may detach from the salvo and engage the systems which are firing, rather than continue along the programmed strike route. This aggressive defence may result in the loss of several Hellions, but serve to ensure the overall success of the strike, and simultaneously further suppress hostile anti-missile systems.
The intelligence and adaptability of the system goes further than that, and the LY589s may ignore systems that do not pose a threat or present an opportunity, while simultaneously uplinking the detail to the battlespace management system. For example, a ground-surveillance radar from a known position may be ignored in favour of continuingon an offensive action.
Further to the Hellion's adaptability, however, are the more direct means. Each is equipped with a ZLQ-88 short-wave ECM module, but usually only a small number from a given flight will activate ECM for a given threat. Should an incoming flight of anti-missile missiles, or other targetting systems for that matter, switch to home-on-jamming, then only a small number of Hellions will be struck by the defences, while the remainder of the Hellion salvo goes on to target.
Chaff dispensers are fitted as standard, with each missile able to release twice before the dispensers are exhausted.
Flares are also fitted as standard, as a means of anti-IR evasion, should the threat be detected or calculated as relying on IR or TI-based target tracking.
While not a 'stealth platform', the Hellion nevertheless makes extensive use of radar absorbent material to reduce its cross-section as much as possible. Given the missile's already relatively small size, lo-lo flight profile and adaptive AI, detection of a Hellion strike is often very late indeed.
Export
The LY589 Hellion is one of the Lyran Protectorate's most carefully guarded and rigorously controlled pieces of equipment, representative as it is as the most current and versatile means of extreme-range battlefield offensive support.
All known means of firing the BGM-109 Tomahawk or LY4045 AShCM should be capable of firing the LY589, including most extant vertical launch systems.
Sale is thus only permitted to states or national/transnational entities that the Protectorate has both dealt with before, and that Executive Command considers trustworthy. On-sale is strictly prohibited.
Only nations with whom Lyras enjoys an alliance in the true sense of the word are permitted DPRs to the Hellion system. Requests should be addressed to Warmarshal Krell, through General Aleksandr.
Again, distribution and on-sale is strictly prohibited. If such an action is required, please contact the Executive Command Staff for approval. Should a state not be eligible for DPRs, purchase of batches of Hellions is still permitted, should Executive Command's stated considerations be met.
Each Hellion sells at NS$3m.
DPRs to the LY589, to allies only, are available at NS$150bn.
Purchases of individual units or DPRs can be made through Lyran Arms.
