A New Age for Aerostats: Proving Airfield-Centric MANPADS Defense for Civil Aircraft Supporting Military Operations

Abstract

Both the U.S. and its allies have increasingly relied upon civilian transport aircraft, such as the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), to augment organic military airlift. However, the widespread proliferation of Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) poses a significant threat to unprotected civilian aircraft. Previous research focused on installing the military's counter-MANPADS systems, such as Infrared Countermeasures (IRCM), on civilian aircraft. However, the unique CRAF operating environment makes such an aircraft-centric approach economically unfeasible. Instead, future counter-MANPADS programs should shift focus from protecting individual aircraft to an area-wide system that protects entire airfields. Aerostats possess unique capabilities that enable them to provide an area-wide counter-MANPADS defense using existing IRCM technology.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2010
Accession Number
AD1018369

Entities

People

  • Justin A. Riddle

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Mobility Operations
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Airframes
  • Cargo Aircraft
  • Commercial Aircraft
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Department Of State
  • Infrared Countermeasures
  • Military Aircraft
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • Radar
  • Space Systems
  • Transport Aircraft
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Cybersecurity.