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An expendable countermeasure is a body (usually for a military application) designed to prevent sensor-based weapons from acquiring and/or destroying a target. Expendable Countermeasures function by altering the signature of the target by either concealing the platform signature, enhancing the signature of the background and thus minimizing the contrast of the scene, or by enhancing the number likely targets within the field-of-view(FOV).

Expendable Countermeasures can act against target acquisition systems that depend on electronic, thermal, infrared, optical, or radar technology. Countermeasures are most popularly associated with aircraft defense, with examples including metallic foil chaff to disrupt radar detection, decoy flares to disrupt infrared, and electronic countermeasures to disrupt other targeting and communications systems. However, land and sea-based forces can also use such countermeasures as well as smoke-screens that can disrupt laser ranging, infrared detection, laser weapons, and visual observation.

Countermeasures are a complicating factor in the development anti-ballistic missile defense systems targeting ICBM's. Like aircraft, ICBM's theoretically could evade such systems by deploying decoys and Chaff (radar countermeasure) in the midcourse phase of flight. Novel proposed chaff mechanisms describe the creation of a "threat cloud" by deploying of large alluminized PET film balloon which could conceal a warhead among a large number of inert objects having similar radar profiles.

In the wake of missile attacks against civilian passenger and cargo airliners in the early 2000's, various agencies investigated the feasibility of equipping countermeasures Chaff (radar countermeasure) and flares. Many commercial carriers found the estimated price of countermeasures to be too costly. However, the Israeli airline El-Al, having been the target of a failed missile attack in Mombassa, Kenya in 2002, began equipping its fleet with radar-based, automated flare release countermeasures from June 2004^[1]. This caused concerns in some European countries, which proceeded to ban such aircrafts from landing at their airports^[2].

References

^ Missile defense for El Al fleet, CNN, May 24, 2004. Accessed July 18, 2006.
^ Europe objects to El Al's anti-missile shield, Ynetnews, Feb 26, 2006. Accessed July 18, 2006.

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 [[Image:F-16 MLU of Royal Netherlands Air Force's Solo Display Team (reg. J-055), flares, Radom AirShow 2005, Poland.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Royal Netherlands Air Force|RNAF]]'s [[F-16]], firing countermeasures (flares) during a solo display at [[Radom Air Show]] 2005]]
-A '''countermeasure''' is a system (usually for a [[military]] application) designed to prevent [[weapon]]s from acquiring and/or destroying a target.   '''Countermeasures''' may function by concealing the sensory signature of the target, or deceiving or disrupting the target detection systems of the attacker.
+An '''expendable countermeasure''' is a body (usually for a [[military]] application) designed to prevent [[sensor]]-based [[weapon]]s from acquiring and/or destroying a target.   '''Expendable Countermeasures''' function by altering the signature of the target by either concealing the platform signature, enhancing the signature of the background and thus minimizing the contrast of the scene, or by enhancing the number likely targets within the [[field-of-view]](FOV).
-'''Countermeasures''' can act against target acquisition systems that depend on [[electronic countermeasures|electronic]], thermal, [[infrared]], optical, or [[radar]] technology.   Countermeasures are most popularly associated with [[aircraft]] defense, with examples including metallic foil [[Chaff (radar countermeasure)|chaff]] to disrupt radar detection, [[decoy]] [[Flare (pyrotechnic)|flare]]s to disrupt infrared, and [[electronic countermeasures]] to disrupt other targeting and communications systems.  However, land and sea-based forces can also use such countermeasures as well as [[smoke-screen]]s that can disrupt [[laser]] ranging, infrared detection, laser weapons, and visual observation.
+'''Expendable Countermeasures''' can act against target acquisition systems that depend on [[electronic countermeasures|electronic]], thermal, [[infrared]], optical, or [[radar]] technology.   Countermeasures are most popularly associated with [[aircraft]] defense, with examples including metallic foil [[Chaff (radar countermeasure)|chaff]] to disrupt radar detection, [[decoy]] [[Flare (pyrotechnic)|flare]]s to disrupt infrared, and [[electronic countermeasures]] to disrupt other targeting and communications systems.  However, land and sea-based forces can also use such countermeasures as well as [[smoke-screen]]s that can disrupt [[laser]] ranging, infrared detection, laser weapons, and visual observation.
 Countermeasures are a complicating factor in the development [[anti-ballistic missile]] defense systems targeting [[ICBM]]'s.  Like aircraft, [[ICBM]]'s theoretically could evade such systems by deploying decoys and [[chaff|Chaff (radar countermeasure)]] in the midcourse phase of flight.  Novel proposed chaff mechanisms describe the creation of a "threat cloud" by deploying of large alluminized [[PET film (biaxially oriented)|PET film]] [[balloon]] which could conceal a warhead among a large number of inert objects having similar radar profiles.

Revision as of 11:17, 3 October 2006

References

See also