AT-500LM 'Strela' Multi-Purpose Missile

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The KS-500LM or 'Strela' is a Colonial Pact multi-guidnance mode, multi-platform missile. It serves as the primary lightweight vehicle mounted munition for use against practically anything on the battlefield the operator can sight in and track; the missile also being a 'sealed round' further increases its utility by reducing maintenance needs to practically nill. The Strela is its variants entered service with the Colonial Pact in the year 981 N.C.C.

This section covers the more general information of the Strela MPM missile.

As stated in the opening paragraph the Strela is a sealed round type munition, meaning upon manufacture the missile system is sealed in a lightweight polymer tube which is then filled with an inert gas often nitrogen. This effectively reduces the issues of environmental degradation and most mishandling damage to the missile to a great degree. Like most canister systems there is a covered external linkage that can be used to both link the system to a launcher (a cover must be removed during loading) or another linkage that can be used to test and check the missile for damage issues.

The missile employs a single ESC-78 type processor with a multitude of programmed behaviors, tasking capabilities, and guidance modes. The weapon system can be launched in these parameters or simply aimed at a target and left in an automatic fire and forget mode. These can be altered or changed by the launching platform or the guiding platform in flight as needed via either and encrypted laser or radio data link.

• Semi-Active Command Line of Sight Optical
  • A visual guidance mode that involves the launching platform or guiding platform visually tracking the target and guiding the weapon system in via their data link to the missile.
• Semi-Active Command Line of Sight Laser
  • A visual guidance mode that involves the launching platform or guiding platform 'painting' the target with a laser designation system which the missile acquires at lock and then 'seeks'.
• Silhouette Lock Fire and Forget
  • A visual 'pattern' type locking system in which the missile is trained on the spectral silhouette of a designated threat and then launched with pattern recognition software homing in on this specific signature in both visual and infrared. Effectively allowing the launching vehicle to acquire, fire or take cover from a threat.
• Optic Lock Fire and Forget with Mid Point Active Guidance
  • Initially a visual semi-active guidance mode in which the launching vehicle or guiding platform directs the missile for the initial quarter or half of the flight before breaking the data link and switching the missile over to a active guidance mode. The weapon system then using its own sensors and targeting data to guide itself into the target allowing the launcher to slip away.
• 'Launch on Data Set' Fire and Forget
  • An indirect attack method in which the launching platform fires the weapon on a data set from another platform's sensors, the weapon being uploaded with a specific threat target and a set of coordinates where the target will be. Once launched the weapon is 'fire and forget' using its own onboard sensor systems and data-links to find its way to the target.

A dual purpose warhead that features a primary anti-armor munition employing a high density solid fuel plasma jet that can be oriented or directed depending on where the missile is akin to the target. It also features a secondary fragmentation sleeve composed of up to ten thousand pre-formed fragmentation shapes that is lethal to infantry targets at up to five hundred meters from the point of detonation. This warhead can be detonated in the following ways; command detonation in which the launch vehicle or guiding platform sets the weapon off when needed. Laser proximity in which a LIDAR sensor detonates the weapon at optimum distance. Radio proximity detonation in which the weapon's radar in an active mode detonates the weapon at the proper distance and finally the contact fuse detonation in which the missile impacts and detonates against the target.

• Primary Warhead
  • Type - Directional Solid Fuel Plasma, Narrow Jet, Typically Top or Side Attack
  • Purpose - Anti-Ship, Anti-Installation, and Anti-Tank
  • Area of Effect - Point of Impact
• Secondary Warhead
  • Type - Fusion-type Explosive Propelled Fragmentation Sleeve
  • Purpose - Anti-Personnel, Area Light Anti-Material
  • Area of Effect - Ovoid Fragmentation Pattern