Research on the Command of Ground to Air Missile Detachment to Combat Drone Shooting

On October 17, 2020, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense released a nearly 3-minute video showcasing the use of drones by the Afghan military for precision airstrikes against the Armenian army. In the video, some of the runner up's personnel carriers, armored vehicles, trench works and other targets were precisely hit, and a large number of soldiers were killed in the air raid. The scene gives a great shock and impact. According to reports, in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the Afghan army used drones to destroy a large number of runner up tanks, artillery, and even anti-aircraft missiles. Drones have become one of the main threats on the land battlefield.

Small size, low probability of discovery. Drones are much smaller in size than manned aircraft because they do not carry passengers. Combined with its unique and exquisite exterior design, it can effectively reduce the radar reflection area, such as the US Predator drone, which has a radar reflection area of only 0.1 square meters. In addition, drones can also adopt stealth measures, which give them strong stealth capabilities and greatly reduce the probability of being detected by enemy radar. The low detectability of drones significantly reduces the air situation warning and shooting preparation time of ground to air missile teams.

Slow speed and long idle time. Normally, drones fly at a slower speed, but have a longer hovering time and a longer range. In this Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the Afghan military used a TB-2 drone with a length of 6.5 meters and a wingspan of 12 meters. It was equipped with a new 100 horsepower internal combustion jet engine, with a maximum takeoff weight of 650 kilograms, a range of over 150 kilometers, a maximum ceiling of over 6000 meters, a cruising speed of about 130 kilometers per hour, a maximum speed of about 220 kilometers per hour, and a maximum travel time of 27 hours. Some strategic drones may have longer flight times, such as the US Global Hawk drone with a range of 42 hours and a maximum range of 26000 kilometers. The long endurance of drones has put significant pressure on the ground to air missile squadron.

Multi functional, integrated detection and disturbance. Drones can carry various payloads, perform diverse military tasks, and can carry optoelectronic equipment for reconnaissance, surveillance, and effectiveness evaluation tasks; Capable of mounting electronic jamming pods to perform electronic jamming tasks; Can travel alone to dangerous areas to carry out feint and restraint missions; Weapon platforms can also be mounted to directly carry out firepower strike missions. In the famous Battle of the Bekaa Valley, drones played a crucial role in electronic reconnaissance and inducing ground to air missile firing; At the beginning of 2020, the United States dispatched MQ-9 Reaper drones to launch three air to ground missiles, assassinating Iranian General Soleimani. In the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the disruptive role played by drones is vividly demonstrated in front of people. The multitasking nature of drones poses certain challenges for ground to air missile squadron commanders to correctly analyze and judge the situation, and make shooting decisions.

Found tracking difficult. Ground to air missile weapon systems typically have search radar and guidance radar, relying on radar to detect and track targets. The main reasons for the difficulty in detecting and tracking drones are as follows: firstly, the small size of drones reduces the radar reflection area; Secondly, due to the stealth design and the use of special materials in the manufacturing of drones, it is difficult to detect and track them; The third is that drones can be equipped with electronic jamming pods, which can perform long-range and close range jamming on ground to air missile weapon systems. These will greatly reduce the performance of search radar and tracking guidance radar.

Difficult to identify. Accurately analyzing and judging the situation is the foundation for a commander to make a correct shooting decision. The commander of the ground to air missile squadron finds it difficult to judge and identify unmanned aerial vehicles, mainly reflected in the following three aspects: firstly, it is difficult to judge friend or foe. As unmanned aerial vehicles generally do not carry identification devices, the identification system equipped with the ground to air missile weapon system alone cannot judge friend or foe; Secondly, it is difficult to determine the type. Both unmanned aerial vehicles and manned aircraft have signal echoes on radar displays, making it difficult to determine whether the target is a manned or unmanned aerial vehicle based solely on the echo signals; Thirdly, it is difficult to determine the intention. As mentioned earlier, drones can perform diverse combat tasks such as reconnaissance and disturbance. It is difficult to determine whether the target's combat intention is reconnaissance and surveillance, feint and restraint, or a combination of reconnaissance and attack.

Intercepting and resisting is difficult. Ground to air missiles have the characteristics of high hit accuracy and high probability of killing. The reason for the difficulty in intercepting and resisting unmanned aerial vehicles during shooting is twofold: firstly, the shooting time is short. Due to the difficulty in detecting and following targets, the distance to the target is shortened, and the preparation time for weapon system shooting is compressed, which reduces the shooting time of surface to air missiles; Secondly, due to the high resistance pressure, drones have the advantages of low cost, reusability, and are unmanned. Even if shot down, they will not cause casualties. Therefore, they are often used to penetrate deep into air defense areas, carry out tasks such as suppressing air defense systems, and create enormous pressure on ground to air missile teams. If saturation attack tactics are used, it will greatly consume the number of surface to air missiles, resulting in a decrease in the cost-effectiveness of intercepting drones with surface to air missiles.

Integrate into the joint system and detect early warning. The prerequisite for the ground to air missile team to fight against drones is to discover the target. The earlier the target is discovered, the longer the combat preparation time can be won. Therefore, the ground to air missile team should actively integrate into the joint air defense system and strive to discover the target as soon as possible. One is to promptly obtain superior air information. To fully leverage the role of the command information system, communication methods such as wireless communication, wired communication, fiber optics, and regional networks should be used to build a communication network with superiors. Attention should be paid to the intelligence reception of the Air Force Air Information Network and the Air Information Broadcasting Network, timely obtaining information on the direction, quantity, type, and electronic interference of enemy drones, and closely organizing the reception of intelligence. The second is to strengthen the sharing of friendly neighbor information. Establish direct intelligence reporting relationships with neighboring friendly units through dedicated lines, especially strengthen communication and contact with electronic air defense forces, electronic countermeasures reconnaissance forces, and radio technology reconnaissance forces, establish an air intelligence information exchange mechanism, further broaden the channels for obtaining drone activity information, achieve air intelligence information sharing, and quickly grasp drone flight intelligence. Thirdly, multiple detection methods should be adopted. Focusing on the rational use of various reconnaissance forces and means, scientifically deploying various reconnaissance forces, fully utilizing the effectiveness of reconnaissance equipment such as early warning radar, search radar, far and near observation posts, and battlefield observation networks, so as to form a unified whole with complementary advantages. We need to strengthen the research on the activity patterns of enemy drones and deploy our main reconnaissance forces in the main direction of enemy attacks. Only in this way can we improve our ability to detect, track, and monitor drones.

Accurately assess the situation and correctly identify the type. Accurately judging the situation and correctly identifying the type are the foundation for making a firm determination to resist. One is to accurately determine whether the target is an enemy or us. Drones have been extensively equipped in both enemy and friendly forces, undertaking diverse combat missions and infiltrating each other on the battlefield. However, due to their small size, they are generally not equipped with identification devices. Therefore, in air defense combat, the identification of friend or foe of drones is very important. During combat, it is necessary to strengthen coordination with our military's unmanned aerial vehicle units, ensure accurate flight forecasts for our aircraft, and avoid accidental damage to our aircraft. The second is to accurately identify the type, that is, to determine whether the target is a drone, mainly through superior notification and target characteristics for discrimination, with a focus on the target's flight characteristics and adversarial characteristics. The flight characteristics focus on altitude and speed, while the countermeasure characteristics focus on the electronic interference characteristics, maneuverability characteristics, and firepower countermeasure characteristics of the target, which can basically characterize the target type. If the target's flight speed is low, the route is relatively fixed, the hovering time is long, and the countermeasures are strong, combined with the superior's notification, it can be preliminarily judged that the target may be a drone. The third is to accurately judge the intention. From the perspective of the purpose of drone activities, it may be to conduct reconnaissance on me, to strike my important targets, to conduct electronic interference on me, or to guide strikes, evaluate effects, lure deception, etc. From the perspective of activity timing, when the geographical environment conditions are special, the deployment of air defense forces is tight, and it is difficult to achieve combat effectiveness using manned aerial vehicles, it may be an important opportunity for the use of drones. Drones can be deployed during the day or launch surprise attacks at night; It can be entered at medium to high altitude or concealed at low altitude. The commander should conduct a comprehensive analysis and judgment based on the number, type, and performance of unmanned aerial vehicles equipped by the enemy, the geographical and meteorological environmental conditions of the combat area, the location and distribution of important targets, and the current combat situation of both sides.

Decisive and flexible command, combined with fraud prevention and crackdown. On the basis of accurate analysis and judgment of the situation, commanders should decisively command and flexibly resist by comprehensively using anti fraud and other means. One is to flexibly adopt command methods. Due to the small size, simple structure, and close detection distance of unmanned aerial vehicles, it has brought some new situations to ground to air missile shooting. In response to the current situation in the air, commanders should implement command decisively and flexibly, striving to achieve a combination of centralized and decentralized command. When the air situation is complex, lower level command should take precedence, and higher-level commanders should continuously provide intelligence and guidance. The second is to comprehensively adopt tactical means. It is the organic combination of anti fraud and other measures. Defense "refers to comprehensive protection. When it is unnecessary or inconvenient to shoot at drones, various radio equipment such as radar and communication should be turned off in a timely manner. At the same time, concealment and camouflage should be done to prevent the enemy from obtaining information such as the location and frequency parameters of the ground to air missile search radar. Deception "refers to setting up fake targets and electromagnetic radiation sources for various radar, communication, and other devices, hiding the truth and showing the falsehood, and luring the enemy into falling for it. 'Strike' means unleashing the firepower of ground to air missiles, flexibly using shooting methods, and resolutely destroying incoming drones. The third is to carefully organize the use of firepower. Because drones generally have low flight speeds, relatively fixed routes, and no confrontational shooting behavior, the type of launch is usually single missile interception. In terms of launch timing, for unmanned aerial vehicles that suddenly appear in the depth of the launch zone, they should be immediately fired upon, that is, detected and fired upon; In other cases, shooting should be carried out at the far boundary of the launch zone, that is, intercepting as far as possible. After the missile is launched, it is necessary to carefully observe the interception and hit situation through search radar, tracking and guidance radar echo signals, and optoelectronic equipment, and timely and accurately judge the shooting effect. If it is not destroyed, it can be organized to continue shooting. When multiple enemy aircraft formations attack, the commander should reasonably adopt batch by batch fire transfer, alternating fire transfer, over batch fire transfer, and one-time fire transfer based on the urgency of the target, the number of incoming targets, and the interval between target batches, in order to timely shoot at subsequent targets and actively expand the results of the battle.

Source: Military Digest