Chapter 1
Introduction and Background
1.1 Introduction
This book provides key insights into and design procedures of the air and missile defense system engineering process that results in a balanced missile defense system whose requirements are to fulfill air and ballistic missile defense needs. This missile defense systems engineering reference will provide the underlying technical foundation for missile defense engineers to conduct an organized program and analyses that will effectively guide the problem definition, investment of research and development efforts for follow-on generations of missile defense systems, and upgrades to existing missile defense systems. As such, this book will have both international and long-lasting applications.
This book focuses on shipborne missile defense systems that provide their own ship defense against missiles and protection of other nearby ships. However, the systems engineering principles discussed herein can be readily applied to other missile defense system scenarios. The goal is to provide an understanding of the physics of missile defense systems and the key performance parameters that drive the capabilities of these systems.
1.2 Why Is Missile Defense an Important Topic?
The deployment of the German V2 missile in 1944 ushered in the era of missile defense. The V2 missile provided the capability to strike targets at long ranges from mobile missile launchers. The V2 was not tactically accurate and was more of a terrorist weapon. Once the V2 was launched, there was no way to defend against it. Clearly, antimissile defensive systems needed to be developed to defend against such missiles.
In 1959, the United States placed 15 nuclear-tipped Jupiter missiles in Turkey [1]. These missiles were aimed at targets in the former Soviet Union. The former Soviet Union responded by constructing nuclear missile installations in Cuba in 1962. This all came to a head in what is referred to as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ultimately, clear thinking prevailed and the Soviet missiles were removed from Cuba and the U.S. missiles were removed from Turkey.
Today, many countries possess both land-based and sea-based offensive missile capabilities. These offensive missiles possess accurate navigational systems based on technologies such as the global positioning system (GPS) or the global navigation satellite system (GLONASS). This allows missiles to strike stationary targets with several meters of accuracy. Advanced missile seeker designs, based on radio frequency (RF) or infrared (IR) technology, allow moving targets to be engaged with a high probability of hitting the target [2].
Clearly, the need for missile defense systems to defend against increasing and varied offensive missile system capabilities is growing. Globalization is increasing the economic ties and interdependencies between developed counties. As these economic ties and interdependencies become more entwined, the likelihood of offensive strikes among developed nations may increase or decrease. We simply do not know. Therefore, as long as offensive missile capabilities exist, missile defense systems will be needed to defend against them. In the end, missile defense may only be needed as an insurance policy against offensive missile strikes. However, it is safe to conclude that the need for missile defense will not go away.
References
1. Mango, A., The Turks Today, Overlook Press, New York, 2004, p. 61.
2. Bergland, E., Mission planning technology. In Technologies for Future Precision Strike Missile Systems, RTO-EN-018. Research and Technology Organization, Paris, France, July 2001.