Decisions to be Made in Charting Future of DoD's Assault Breaker

Abstract

Assault Breaker is a Department of Defense (DOD) concept using standoff weapons to attack moving, rear echelon armor massed deep behind enemy lines. Presently, the only nonnuclear means for attacking these targets is by the use of manned, penetrating aircraft. The advantage of Assault Breaker is that it would permit attacking these targets with standoff weapons. The concept involves using an airborne radar; airborne or surface launchers; strike missiles with submunition dispensers; antiarmor selfguided submunitions that are dispensed over the target; and a communications, command and control network. Assault Breaker was conceived to obtain a uniquely high rate of kill at a much smaller risk and cost than present weapons permit. DOD officials believe Assault Breaker's fire rate could destroy in a few hours sufficient vehicles in Warsaw Pact reinforcement divisions to prevent their exploiting a breakthrough of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defenses. Preliminary estimates of acquisition costs are about $5.3 billion.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 28, 1981
Accession Number
ADA096142

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Force
  • Air Launched
  • Aircrafts
  • Cost Estimates
  • Countermeasures
  • Data Processing
  • Department Of Defense
  • Multiple Launch Rocket System
  • Munitions
  • Nato
  • Processing Equipment
  • Radar
  • Submunitions
  • Target Acquisition
  • Warfare
  • Weapon Systems

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Missile Defense Systems.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3