Work in pairs. Read the text and discuss the questions below.

Offensive missiles can reduce their radar cross section by employing shaping or radar-absorbing material (RAM). Surface shaping causes the energy in the transmitted radar pulse to be reflected in other directions and not directly back to the radar, causing the energy in the radar return to be reduced. The offensive missile can also use composite materials that absorb radar energy to reduce their radar cross section.

Stream and azimuth raids are employed to improve defense penetration capability. Both raid types will place increased demands on the defensive systems’ firepower capability in an attempt to overwhelm the air defense system. The defensive systems can potentially counter these techniques with increased magazine capacity, increasing the number of engagements that can be prosecuted simultaneously and by reducing the salvo time (how rapidly missiles can be sequentially fired from a launcher). A stream raid is defined as a raid where a group of similar offensive missiles fly the same trajectory, but the trajectories are separated in time. Modern radars should have sufficient range resolution to detect and track each offensive missile in the raid. However, sometimes, modern radar may ignore trailing targets that occur in the same beam or at the same indicated angle. An offensive missile can generate false trailing targets if it employs a repeater jammer with digital radio frequency memory (DRFM). The transmitted radar pulse is digitized, stored, and then retransmitted at fixed time delays to mimic false trailing targets. A Doppler shift can be added to the retransmitted pulse that gives the false trailing targets the same apparent inbound velocity as the actual offensive missile. If the radar identifies each missile in the stream raid as an offensive missile, then special consideration should be given to the engagement solution. If possible, trajectories for the weapons used to engage the trailing offensive missiles should be shaped to avoid debris from the engagement of leading offensive missiles. Trajectory shaping will increase missile flyout times. Stream raid engagements will become more difficult for smaller stream raid time spacings and faster offensive missiles. An azimuth raid is a raid where the offensive missiles fly toward a common target from different azimuth angles. The raid timing is such that all of the offensive missiles will arrive simultaneously. This scenario is judged to be a worst-case scenario from an engagement timeline perspective. Most defensive systems do not have the ability to engage multiple offensive missiles in azimuth simultaneously. This is due to several reasons. All offensive missiles in the raid will not be detected simultaneously due to radar search patterns and the stochastic nature of the detection process. Usually, weapons can only be launched one at a time at an interval determined by the missile launcher salvo time.

 

1. How can offensive missiles reduce their radar cross-section?
2. Name the other techniques related to the offensive missile seeker?
3. What kind of raids are used to improve the defense penetration capability?
4. How can the defensive systems counter these techniques?
5. Give a definition of a stream raid.
6. What device can be used by the offensive missile to generate false trailing targets? How does it work?
7. What could a Doppler shift be used here for?
8. What is an azimuth raid? Give a definition.
9. Does it have any disadvantages?

Word list

incoming missile - атакующая ракета

surveillance - [sə:ˈveɪləns] наблюдение; контроль

reconnaissance- [rıʹkɒnıs(ə)ns]разведка; рекогносцировка

detection and tracking weapons- оружие обнаружения и сопровождения

engagement- сражение; бой;

intercept engagement phases- фаза боевого перехвата

area defense phase- фаза обороны района

self-defense phase- фаза самообороны

point defense phase- фаза защиты объекта

defense penetration techniques  - тактики защиты от вторжения

battlespace- воздушное пространство над районом боевых действий, боевое пространство

radar cross section- эффективная площадь отражения

to counter these offensive techniques -  противодействовать тактикам при наступлении

to drive down the probability-of-kill- снизить вероятность поражения

probability-of-raid annihilation- [ əˌnaɪəˈleɪʃən] вероятность полного уничтожения

engagement opportunity – преимущества в сражении

jamming - подавление (помехами); помехи

missile seeker - головка самонаведения, самонаводящаяся противоракета

range and angle estimates - оценочные показатели радиуса действия и угла

evasive maneuver - маневр уклонения

to evade defensive weapons - уклоняться от оборонительного оружия

to saturate the defensive system - ˈ[sætʃəreɪt] подавлять системы защиты

to confuse the defensive systems - обманывать защитные системы

stream raids - серия налетов

inbound offensive missile - подлетающая ПТУР

latency time - время задержки

UNIT 2