The innovative Interactive Defence and Attack System for Submarines (IDAS) is a lightweight fibre-optic guided missile for submarines.

Primarily conceived as a means of self-defence for the submarine against ASW helicopters, IDAS has been developed further into a multi-purpose weapon system that enables the submerged cruising submarine to engage airborne, surface and coastal targets with a high degree of precision.

Within the German-Norwegian working group ARGE IDAS the missile as well as the fibre-optic system are produced by Diehl BGT Defence. The Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is responsible for the integration into the combat system while HDW is in charge of system integration into the submarine. Moreover, HDW is speaker of the ARGE IDAS.

The uniqueness of IDAS is founded on the missile’s ability to be linked to the submarine’s combat operations centre via a fibre-optic cable link during the entire duration of the mission. Its imaging IR-seeker transmits images continuously via the fibre-optic link down to the operator’s console. As he is able to follow the missile’s flight visually, the operator is able – if required – to change the target or to choose a different point of impact. The extreme degree of precision of the missile means that a relatively small warhead is enough to achieve the desired effect. This enables collateral damage to be avoided in a way that is not possible when deploying torpedoes or heavyweight missiles.

This missile system further expands the submarine’s ability to react flexibly to a wide range of situations. The IDAS concept has shown its feasibility in three successful firing tests. After having finalised its detailed design phase and qualification IDAS will be ready to go into production.