following document release by the Ministry of Defense, for educational purposes
Loyalist Air Defence
Overview
The Loyalist air defence doctrine consist of complete umbrella defence and air superiority. SAMs and airfields are concentrated mostly near the west coast and major cities. A large array of radar systems and early warning stations built up on borders and strategic points provide the Loyalist military with complete awareness and control of its airspace. Units and weapons coordinate with the national LAC (Loyalist Airspace Control) network to augment detection, identification, and tracking. All this is meant to prevent enemy aircraft or smugglers from slipping through un-notice and un-address.
Defence Umbrella
The defence umbrella system is base on three layers of air defence systems, consisting of long range S-300PMU series SAMs (first layer), medium range Buk/BUK-2 SAMs (second layer), and short range TY-90 radar/Strela-3 infrared homing systems (third layer). Layers are activated upon the failure of preceding layers. The variety in engagement range insures the system is optimize in dealing with changing threats. First and second layer systems are all coordinated with LAC, a sophisticated and extensive network of early warning systems and radar stations.
Initial Layer (L-1)
The first layer, or initial layer, is the most sophisticated of all three. It consist of the Loyalist produced S-300PMU long range systems, that can engage targets at distances of up to 195 km. Enemy aircraft entering Loyalist airspace must first deal with these long range SAMs, which are usually supported by additional radar arrays and AWAC system to insure maximum accuracy and deterrent against stealth aircraft. The newer systems are also capable of taking out ballistic targets, including cruise missiles.
Most air-to-surface munitions did not extend to the S-300’s engagement range, making a pre-emptive strike near impossible. On top of this, fixed SAM sites are harden in concrete silos and some batteries are left offline until the last minute to prevent counterstrikes. In border sites, the military built a number of decoy SAM sites and silo decoys to further hamper efforts by the enemy to destroy the S-300 systems. First layer systems are continuously upgraded with the newest improvements and modifications to maintain the effectiveness of the system. The recent S-400 SAM systems is expect to replace all older S-300 series. Around 20% of S-300 systems are fixed and the rest are hidden or active mobile units. All systems are integrated with nearby detection and tracking systems (LAC and independent units) to deal out coordinated precision and deterrent against air targets.
Currently, L-1 systems completely covers the entire west coast and major districts. The military has increase total coverage on the Saletsian border with fix/mobile units. These systems have their range extend 20 km into Saletsian territory. Border systems are typically train to engage confirm targets at 170 km to improve the chance of kill. Coastal units have their range extend up to 150 km of territorial waters, with secondary L-1 units deploy 10 to 50 km behind them.
Second Layer (L-2)
The second layer consist of medium range SAMs, who’s function is to destroy any aircraft that might have slipped through the Initial Layer. This layer is entirely mobile, consisting of Buk TELAR and BUK-2 radar homing systems. Missiles reach speeds up to Mach 4, guided by multiply advance radar systems. The effective range of the Buk system is 4 to 30 km and an altitude of up to 14 000 metres. BUK-2, a newer version of the Buk, extends the max range up to 50 km and the altitude to 25 000 metres. However, the high cost of the newer system has prevent it from replacing the older Buk systems. Buk-2 batteries are currently deploy mostly near the Saletsian border. Again, all L-2 systems are coordinated with LAC to increase effectiveness.
L-2 batteries are usually provided with a escort of motorized infantry, either an Army IMP-1 infantry company or NMO truck company. A few L-2 batteries also have shorter range L-3 systems accompanying them. This serves mostly as a deterrent against low flying attack helicopters that are out of the Buk’s minimum range.
L-2 batteries are usually deploy in random patrols, moving around to prevent enemy from pinpointing them. In peacetime, 50% of L-2 batteries are active in patrols, the rest are garage in underground bunkers. During wartime, 15% of units are bunkered, as a strategic precaution. L-2 systems are deploy a least 35 km from land border jurisdictions. Coastal units vary, while city systems surround the municipal limits.
