RAND Arroyo Center Research Brief: Future Air Missile Threats
Abstract
Rarely has the U.S. Army had to worry about air attack. Since the early days of World War II, the Air Force and its predecessors have owned the skies, and the Army has been able to carry out its missions largely unimpeded by aerial threats. But that may change. A global economy promises to make technologies of all types widely available, which means that even sophisticated weapons will be cheaper and easier to get. These include not only the tactical ballistic missiles that menaced U.S. forces during the Gulf War, but also cruise missiles and armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The long time it takes to develop and buy weapons forces the Army to start today to defend itself against the threats of tomorrow. Researchers from RAND's Arroyo Center analyzed six plausible future worlds to determine which types of air and missile threats might confront the Army in a range of geopolitical or strategic situations with an eye to determining where it should invest its research and development funds. Results of the analysis appear in Army Air and Missile Defenses: Future Challenges Their major conclusions are that: The Army needs to invest more in cruise missile defenses: (1)The Army should retain and improve its short-range missile defense against aircraft: (2) Developing laser weapons against rockets and artillery may not be worth the cost: (3)Planned defenses against tactical ballistic missiles appear adequate in most cases.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA405994
Entities
Organizations
- RAND Corporation