Key to Defeating Army After Next: Man-Portable Air Defense Systems Against the Air-Mechanized Formation

摘要

In 1996, the United States Army established the Army After Next (AAN) project. This project is tasked with the development of a military force capable of decisively nullifying any major military competitor. The cornerstone the AAN's strategic deployment and tactical maneuver capability is the air- mechanized formation. Essential to the development of the AAN concept is the analysis of its weaknesses and vulnerabilities. As the Army proceeds with the analysis of the air-mechanized formation concept, the identification of viable threat weapons is essential to the development of realistic and challenging wargaming models. In wargaming models, teams working as the enemy force have effectively used various weapons to defeat the air-mechanized formation. Among the weapons used, the man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) has proven to be an integral part of the enemy force defense. While every air defense system offers substantial advantages and capabilities to ground commander, MANPADS are the distinctive weapon for use against the AAFs of the air-mechanized formation. As part of our efforts to make the concept viable and effective, the determination of weapon systems that can be effective against the force must be used in every modeling and wargaming for proper analysis.