ADATS (air defence antitank system)

ADATS means air defence antitank system. It is the form given in NATO's glossary of acronyms and abbreviations, which also supplies the French equivalent, "système de défense antichar et antiaérienne" (NATO AAP-15 glossary).

In Canada the abbreviation refers to a specific weapon system fielded by the Canadian Army. The Department of National Defence (DND) writes it as "Air Defence Anti-Tank System" and uses the abbreviation ADATS (DND 2013-14 Report on Plans and Priorities). The system is now retired, so most references you will meet are historical or tied to disposal.

How NATO and the Government of Canada write the term

NATO uses the lowercase, unhyphenated form "air defence antitank system." Canadian departmental text uses "Anti-Tank" with a hyphen and capitalizes each word when naming the Canadian system. Both forms point to the same abbreviation. Related vocabulary includes air defence, anti-tank, air-defence missiles and radar.

If you search notices, contract-history records or technical documents, check both spellings (antitank and anti-tank) so you do not miss relevant records.

What the Canadian ADATS was

The Canadian Army fielded ADATS in the late 1980s. The Canadian system was an Oerlikon-built unmanned turret mounted on an M113 armoured vehicle. It combined a radar with two banks of four missiles. Its defining feature was dual use: it could engage both air-based and ground-based targets, which is why the name joins air defence and antitank roles (Canadian Army, Line of Sight).

• Platform: M113 armoured vehicle
• Turret: Oerlikon-built and unmanned
• Sensors and weapons: radar and two banks of four missiles
• Targets: air and ground

Retirement and divestment

Canada retired ADATS in 2012 (Canadian Army, Line of Sight). In its 2013-14 planning report, DND identified 34 ADATS vehicles and associated missiles for divestment. The department described the system as obsolete and no longer a priority to operate (DND 2013-14 Report on Plans and Priorities).

The same report explains how DND handles equipment acquisition. Activities are carried out primarily with Public Works and Government Services Canada, Industry Canada and vendors, and cover sourcing, contracting, contract negotiation and award, and contract administration.

More recent DND material on air defence discusses new capabilities such as Very Short Range Air Defence and the Saab RBS 70 NG rather than ADATS. See DND's pages on procurement and international security.

What ADATS means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

Treat ADATS as a legacy reference. If the term appears in a notice, a contract-history record, a technical document or disposal-related material, it points to the retired Canadian air-defence and anti-tank system and its missiles, equipment, support or disposal. It should not be read as a solicitation for a new ADATS system.

• Read the statement of requirement closely to see whether the work concerns support, parts, records or disposal of legacy equipment.
• Review past awards in the Government of Canada contracts search and current opportunities on CanadaBuys procurement and contracting data.
• For current air-defence work, look to the newer systems named in DND's recent procurement material.