Designation: Lockheed ATM-01 Rapier (A,B)

This missile was the premier short range ground launched missile of the RDF, and after the Stiletto the second multi-purpose missile in service. It was conceived in 2004 as a successor to the Hellfire and a complement to the Brimstone anti-armor missile. As such, it was mounted on all Tomahawk and Spartan Destroids. In comparison to the Hellfire, the Rapier had a vastly increased speed, with correspondingly lower flight times, which gave targeted mecha far less time to evade. The first production version was the Rapier A. As the expected enemy mecha did not have as heavy armor as a main battle tank, the Rapier could carry a lighter warhead than the Hellfire. This resulted in a missile with a diameter of 12 cm, and a range of 8.2 km, far for ground launched missiles. The second version required expert knowledge to recognize it as a Rapier. In the place of the 12 cm HEAT warhead of the A version, the B version coupled the A's engine to a heavy, overcaliber fragmentation warhead of 17 cm diameter with proximity fusing. This missile was not meant to be used against armor, but against unarmored personnel and, mainly, as an anti-missile missile. The proximity fuse was sensitive enough to detect an enemy missile, and the warhead powerful enough to destroy the missile. The Rapier B was used as an anti-air missile by the Spartan (the Tomahawk had dedicated anti-air missiles) and was also adopted by the RDF Navy as a point defense missile against incoming ship-killers. As such, it was mounted in numbers on the Daedalus and Prometheus classes, and, unexpectedly, on the Warspite class of submarines, where the Rapiers gave the missiles a defense against ASW helicopters and aircraft. Though phased out by the Army in 2018, the Rapier remained in service with the Navy to the Invid Invasion.

Go to RDF Multipurpose Missile Index.

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Copyright © 1997 Robert Morgenstern, Peter Walker, Pieter Thomassen
Last Updated: Monday, September 21, 1998 4:25 PM