ACS

A generally-accepted definition for “Air Defense” is “all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action.”

In practical terms, these measures include purpose-specific weapon systems (ground-based, airborne and shipborne), the sensor systems that support these weapon systems, the command and control resources used to employ and manage the air-defense effort, as well as some passive resources. All of these measures are employed to protect the national airspace, vital infrastructures, high-value installations and military forces. Missile defense is a more recent aspect of air defense.

The objective of the over-all air-defense effort is to detect and identify hostile aerial targets (fixed and rotary wing aircraft, UAS, missiles, rockets, etc.), engage these targets and destroy them before they can inflict damage.

In addition to the over-all air-defense effort, deployed military forces and forces operating on the battlefield, at sea or in out-of-area situations require their own air-defense capabilities.

Ground-Based Air-Defense (GBAD) efforts may be divided into the following categories:

• Self-defense, where ground or naval forces employ their own air-defense resources.
• Accompanying air-defense, where dedicated air-defense elements operate in conjunction with and provide close protection to ground forces.
• Point defense, where air-defense elements protect a particular objective or locality, such as a seaport, airport, military base or infrastructure facility.
• Area air-defense, where air-defense elements are deployed to provide a protective umbrella over a specific area.

GBAD systems can also constitute a deterrent, as in some cases they can threaten the enemy’s airspace, thereby deterring the enemy forces from using this airspace for offensive purposes.

Today’s air-defense system category includes an extensive variety of surveillance systems, weapon systems, Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (C4I) systems and integrated systems.

Modern Command, Control & Communication (C3) systems significantly enhance the effectiveness of air-defense systems, including short-range and very short range (V/SHORAD) systems