Countermeasures: Survivability of U.S. Radars Needs More Emphasis

摘要

We reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) efforts to address the anti-radiation missile (ARM) threat. Specifically, we reviewed DOD's progress in developing effective countermeasures against the threat and the role of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) in overseeing ARM countermeasure development and coordinating the military services' efforts. As agreed with your Office, we have eliminated specific references to threat characteristics and U.S. weapon system performance in order to keep this report unclassified. Many U.S. weapon systems rely on radars for targeting and guidance. To detect targets, a radar transmits a series of brief pulses of energy and 'listens' for an echo. Some types of radars illuminate threats for targeting and guidance of weapons. Radars are the most vulnerable part of systems because they emit signals; thus, they can be acquired by several threat systems, including ARMs. ARMs home in on the radar emissions and try to destroy the antenna and adjacent equipment. Some ARMs can be launched at long distances from the targeted radar. Further, because ARMs do not emit signals, they can be difficult to detect and destroy or to avoid.