Penetration aid

Penetration aid

A penetration aid is a device or tactic used to increase an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) warhead's chances of penetrating a target's defenses. These can consist of both physical devices carried within the ICBM, as well as tactics that accompany its launch, and may include:

* chaff: Chaff wires may be deployed over a large area of space, creating a large, radar-reflecting object that will obscure incoming warheads from defensive radar.
* decoys: Decoys consist of mylar balloons that can be inflated in space and are designed to have the same radar characteristics as the warhead. Because the warhead and the decoy balloons may be at different temperatures the warhead and the balloons may both be surrounded by heated shrouds that put them all at the same temperature. This defeats attempts to discriminate between decoys and warheads on the basis of temperature, which can confuse an enemy's missile defense systems.
* Incidental or deliberate fragmentation of the final-stage rocket booster can cloud the enemy's radar by projecting a radar cross-section much larger than the actual missile. [Bethe, H. "Countermeasures to ABM systems" in "ABM: An evaluation of the decision to deploy an anti-ballistic missile system", edited by Abram Chayes and Jerome Weisner. Published by Macdonald (London) in 1969.]
* radar jammers: These are transmitters that can be deployed on the decoys and the warhead to jam the frequencies used by defensive radars.
* nuclear radar blackout: A nuclear device may be deliberately exploded in space by the attacker in order to provide a radar blackout that will allow subsequent warheads to pass through the enemy's defenses undetected.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • penetration aid — Mil. a device or tactic, as the use of chaff or decoys or the maintaining of a low flight level, that helps an aircraft or missile to enter hostile air space. [1965 70] * * * …   Universalium

  • penetration aid — Mil. a device or tactic, as the use of chaff or decoys or the maintaining of a low flight level, that helps an aircraft or missile to enter hostile air space. [1965 70] …   Useful english dictionary

  • penetration aids — Devices, such as jammers, chaff, flares, decoys, warning systems, and tactics that create low observability, that aid penetration into hostile defended airspace. Also called penaids …   Aviation dictionary

  • Cone penetration test — A CPT truck operated by the USGS. The cone penetration test (CPT) is an in situ testing method used to determine the geotechnical engineering properties of soils and delineating soil stratigraphy. It was initially developed in the 1950s at the… …   Wikipedia

  • Chevaline — For other uses, see Chevaline (disambiguation). Chevaline Penetration Aid Carrier (PAC) on display at the Bristol Aero Collection [1] at RAF Kemble The warheads lay in recesses on the left and right of the bus, which are not obvious in this image …   Wikipedia

  • Intercontinental ballistic missile — An intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, is a long range (greater than 5,500 km or 3,500 miles) ballistic missile typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery, that is, delivering one or more nuclear warheads. Due to their great range… …   Wikipedia

  • Bulava (missile) — Infobox Weapon is missile=yes name=R 30 Bulava caption=Bulava Missile variants origin= type=SLBM used by= manufacturer=MITT unit cost= propellant= production date= service=planned for 2008 engine=three stage solid propellant engine power=… …   Wikipedia

  • ECONOMIC AFFAIRS — THE PRE MANDATE (LATE OTTOMAN) PERIOD Geography and Borders In September 1923 a new political entity was formally recognized by the international community. Palestine, or Ereẓ Israel as Jews have continued to refer to it for 2,000 years,… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • china — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. a translucent ceramic material, biscuit fired at a high temperature, its glaze fired at a low temperature. 2. any porcelain ware. 3. plates, cups, saucers, etc., collectively. 4. figurines made of porcelain or ceramic material …   Universalium

  • China — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. People s Republic of, a country in E Asia. 1,221,591,778; 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Cap.: Beijing. 2. Republic of. Also called Nationalist China. a republic consisting mainly of the island of Taiwan off the SE coast …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”