Improving the Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) System

摘要

As evident from U.S. experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, having the best technology does not always give a state the tactical advantage in today's complex, low-intensity operational environment. The enemy has adjusted its tactics to successfully combat the United States' superior technological advantage on the ground and in the air using many low-tech solutions. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the United States has not been threatened by an enemy from the air using advanced aircraft and helicopters. The trend has shifted to less expensive, low-tech aerial weapons, and just as with ground combat the United States must adapt to these new threats. Current U.S. air defense weapon systems are not capable of countering all of these new threats, so the U.S. Army and Marine Corps have developed the Surface Launched Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile System (SLAMRAAM) as the answer. This system is a highly capable but technically complex weapon and is an example of the United States using technology to counter all of the enemy's threats. Today's air threats, such as cruise missiles and UAVs, require complex air defense systems like the SLAMRAAM to protect U.S. assets. Technology can provide many of the solutions needed to combat these threats, but the enemy is constantly evolving to defeat technology-based systems. In response, the U.S. air and missile defense forces must have systems that can still provide effective air defense coverage in a degraded environment. SLAMRAAM can be this system if its enhanced engagement capability were combined with the ability to operate degraded in a manual mode.