Space Defence is a tri-service command structure that is charged with the defence of the airspace of the realm. It is organised along the lines of multiple command centers that direct the various air defence legions
Each of the static air defence legion will be deployed to each major city (about 13). The remainder will be deployed to strategic locations. 1st to 24th Air Defence Legion are located in hardened sites across the Empire. 25th to 36th and 49th to 60th are mobile legions that will come under the Army Tagmata. 37th to 48th Air Defence Legion will be located in hardened bunkers with the assigned a mobile command center. Every legion will operate batteries of several Surface to Air Missile launchers, controlled command posts and radars. Due to cuts in force levels, 32nd to 36th, 57th to 60th Mobile Legions will be relegated to reserve duty, with the 32th to 36th largely staffed by voluntary national service recruits.
Byzantium's Integrated Air Defence System hierarchy consists of 5 layers, with the National Defence Center at the top, the sector Defence Centers next, the regional centers, the local nodes last. Each regional center is assigned at least one semi-static Air Defence Legion, and 1 AEGIS system consisting of 240 MK41 VLS cells. The initial plan was to replace the AEGIS systems with STAR systems. But in the aftermath of Byzantium's leaving the MESS, it has been decided that the AEGIS system would be either maintained until 2020 where it will be slowly replaced by the S-500 system in stages. Fiber optics networks and encrypted datalinks are used to ensure better communication between centers and nodes. Data fusion is employed to combine all the data received so as to better coordinate air defence. Each center is capable of controlling all the weapons in its assigned area, and is buried and hardened against air attack. All weapons are housed in hardened buried bunkers with pop-up radars and sliding doors for the launchers to deploy THEL batteries and gun CIWS and RAM batteries are being deployed to provide point-defence for each air defence location. There are also a small number of mobile Aegis batteries as well. Considerable effort has been made to camouflage as well as to employ lots of decoys and backup centers. The Air Defence System is linked to a CATO air defence network to aid in the defence of the CATO against attacks. A number of mobile centers are also employed as last ditch fall backs. Various AEW&CSI aircraft are employed to aid in the defence as well. Considerable coordination takes place better the Air Force Air Defence Command and the National Defence Center.
2 OTH/OTH-B radar systems and 2 X-Band radar and are expected to be ready for testing come end of the FY09. 2 radars will be placed in Greece where one will be at Athens covering our southern flank, one will be covering our northern flank. 2 will be in Anatolia, at Antioch covering the southern flank and another at Trepizond. Note that this is in addition to the older facilities built together with the UCSR in the 70s and 80s. The 14 stratellite radar systems will be placed over the east and west Mediterranean to provide all round surveillance of any aircraft coming from Japanistan.
General Order of Battle[]
Air Defence[]
Mobile Air Defence Legions and Static Air Defence Legions are organised differently by virtue of different needs of mobility. A regiment consists of 3 batteries.
For static units, new structure:
- 12 S-500-A batteries
- 12 S-500-B/C batteries
- 12 S-500-D/E batteries
- 12 S-500-F batteries
- 36 STEL batteries, CIWS gun and RAM systems
- 4 S-500-G batteries
Note that there are typically 2-4 reloads. Essentially, each static legion is divided into 4 groups, each with 3 batteries of S-500-A, S-500-B/C, S-500-D/E, S-500-F and 1 battery of S-500-G.
For 24 Mobile units, the following structure will be observed
- 9 S-500-A batteries
- 9 S-500-B batteries
- 9 S-500-D/E batteries
- 9 S-500-F batteries
- 27 STEL batteries, CIWS gun and RAM systems
- 1 S-500-G battery
Note that there are typically 2 reloads.
Under the new arrangement, there will be a total of 24 static Air Defence Legions, with certain mobile elements housed in reinforced concrete structures which are buried. There will be 24 mobile Air Defence Legions, of which 8 held in reserve. Only 9 out of 24 static Air Defence Legions have been reequipped with the S-500 system. Only 8 of the mobile Air Defence Legions have the S-500 system. Projected re-equipping will last to 2018-20. S-400 systems will be placed in storage.
Air Defence Radars[]
All Air Defence Radars are linked to a CATO wide network via fiber optics and other communication methods. 2 new OTH radars were constructed, one in Anatolia and one in Crete. 2 X-Band ABM radars were also constructed, one in Greece, and the other also in Anatolia near Antioch.
Space Forces[]
2 squadrons of MiG-105s (16 each) are maintained at semi high readiness in solid propellant launchers based on the Zenit-2S design.
2 squadrons of MiG-31TM (16 each) refitted for ASAT missions.
10 Military Stratellites in space for AEW&CSI and military communications
4 Military Communication satellites.
1 BAM A380 1MW Solid State Laser testbed. A total of 4 to be procured. New BAM A380 1MW FEL Laser testbed to be launched.
1 MultiMegaWatt laser under construction and expected to be completed latest 2020.
Many satellites are jointly operated with CATO members.