Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:23:13-3:25:10

Missile decoys reinforce the case for stopping the launch platform

Countermeasure-dispensing missiles extend a Cold War practice in which large weapons carry decoys or multiple terminal attack mechanisms.

Anti Radiation WeaponsCruise MissilesElectronic WarfareLayered DefenceMissile DefencePenetration Aids
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Question

Are cruise missiles that eject countermeasures and penetration decoys a new development?

Short answer

No; they extend Cold War ideas for carrying decoys and multiple attack elements, and they strengthen the case for stopping the launch platform before release.

Notes

The panel treats decoy-ejecting Kh-11 and Iskander weapons as an evolution rather than a wholly new threat. Larger missiles have long had room for penetration aids, and designers even proposed weapons that separated into radar-seeking, heat-seeking, torpedo, and fuel-laden attack elements. Each extra terminal mechanism makes the defensive problem harder after launch. The most reliable layer is therefore to destroy or suppress the carrier before it releases the weapon, even though that requirement sounds offensively oriented.