ARTHUR (military)

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ARTHUR is an abbreviation for mobile "Artillery Hunting Radar" system developed in Sweden. The vehicle carrying the radar is a Bandvagn 206 developed and produced by Hägglunds; the radar is developed by Ericsson. Its cost is estimated at 48 million Swedish krona per unit.

Contents 1 Usage 2 Functions 2.1 Modes 2.1.1 Locating 2.1.2 Fire Control and Fire Direction 3 Enemies 4 External links 5 Notes 6 References

[edit] Usage

The ARTHUR can detect incoming artillery rounds from 40 kilometres away. Its main purpose is to locate where enemy artillery is stationed and predict their probable target. The results from the ARTHUR unit, accurate to 2 metres, helps aim friendly artillery batteries. The use of the ARTHUR in Nordic Battle Groups will primarily concentrate on preventing the use of artillery barrages in civilian areas, since the radar can identify an artillery unit guilty of targeting civilians. It will also be used to warn friendly mission troops of incoming indirect fire. ^[1]

[edit] Functions

The antenna (the rectangular object on the ARTHUR's rear back) is divided into several fields. Each field is equipped with transmitters and receptors. The transmitter sends a very small radioactive isotope, which bounces on any object it contacts. When the isotope returns to the antenna, the transmitter will have been turned off, and the receiver will return the isotope into the system for a reading. If the transmitter has not been turned off, the most probable cause is that an object of unreasonable distance (e.g. up to 1 km) caught the isotope and sent it back prematurely. In this case, the radioactive energy may damage the transmitter lens.

Otherwise, the reading will be made and sent with its calculations into the vehicle's ship computer called the DBE ("databehandlings enhet" or electronic data processing unit). If the object the isotope found was located a distance of 30 km away, the time of the entire process would be approximately three seconds (20km approx 2.5 sec./40km approx 3.7 sec.)

[edit] Modes

[edit] Locating

When locating enemy artillery, the radar focuses its calculations on the up-going orbit of the shell, sending information on probable hit and source position to the operators in the vehicle. Operators send a manual DART message back to the command centre for evaluation and processing. If certain alert areas are marked on the map which is found in the DBE, a DART message will be sent automatically to the designated receiver (based on which alert area has been affected).

The accuracy of the readings from locating hinges on weather, wagon stability, antenna status and the search area's environment (forestation, mountains, buildings etc.). However, the hostile source can be described within a certainty of a few metres, and the target within a space of 20-50 metres, depending on search distance. The ARTHUR can determine whether the artillery piece is of gun-type, rocket-type or mortar-type based upon the curve of the trajectory, the object's speed, and its range.

[edit] Fire Control and Fire Direction

When in Fire Control mode (FC) the radar focuses its calculations on the down-going orbit of the shell, sending information on the friendly artillery piece's accuracy. The location of the artillery is sent to the operators who process the information into the DBE map. The result is an almost exact reading; by Swedish norms, artillery in wartime should make such controls every three days of service or after each 150 shells. FC mode can be combined with alert areas to guard against indirect fire on friendly units and positions.

[edit] Enemies

Ground troops and infiltrating units pose the most danger to the ARTHUR. To prevent close encounters, the ARTHUR usually operates in units of three that keep surveillance over an area. Although the ARTHUR includes one vehicle-mounted machine gun and two anti-tank rocket launchers (pansarskott), the general instruction to units in scenarios against armoured opponents is "Fly, eller dö i försöket" ("flee, or die trying").^{[citation needed]}

[edit] External links

• ARTHUR at Saab
• One35th.com Military encyclopedia
• Info about ARTHUR from army.cz

[edit] Notes

[edit] References