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A Statistical Method, Using LabVIEW Software, To Determine Missile Defense System Locations

Introduction Universities should offer an elective course covering missile defense technology. This course should cover subsystems needed for a ballistic missile defense engagement during powered, ballistic, and re-entry flights. A text book for the course should be written to include all the subsystems needed for these engagements. These subsystems are search, acquisition, track and target subsystems. In the early 1970’s, the first author was evolved with designing, building and installing successful ground based missile locating and tracking systems for the Department of Defense. Funds for additional ground based missile locating and tracking systems were not allocated because a decision was made to deploy satellite missile defense systems. The 1972 Antiballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty with the Soviet Union delayed development of missile defense systems by the United States (U.S.). Now, the U.S. has a National Missile Defense (NMD) program. The most pressing concern today is the feasibility of an attack by North Korean ballistic missiles bearing nuclear or biological weapons. Hypothesizing that a North Korean missile destroys a city like San Francisco or New York in the future, missile defense will become the highest priority program for the U.S. Universities should start teaching missile defense technology now to expose engineering students to missile defense.

A searching subsystem is needed to detect the launch of one or more ballistic missiles to provide early warning. The missile’s on-board tracking beacon is of primary interest to a missile defense system. A beacon tracking system is used at the launch site to track and keep the missile on the proper flight path during powered flight. During the 1970’s, beacon signals were in the 2-6 Giga Hertz (GHz) frequency range. A ground based 2-6 GHz signal will normally propagate straight off the earth. However, experience has shown the signal will bend over the horizon during the missile’s powered flight. The searching subsystem at the missile defense site will detect the beacon signal before the missile breaks the horizon to be acquired by radar.

A beacon tracking subsystem at the missile defense site could be already locked on to the missile’s tracking beacon and providing early warning of the missile launch prior to the missile’s horizon break point. The tracking radar subsystem could operate in synchronism with the bacon tracking system and take over tracking the missile at the horizon break point. Also, the targeting system could be calculating the antimissile intercept point before the missile breaks the horizon. In this scenario, the missile could be destroyed in powered flight or just when it enters ballistic flight. A search window around the point where the missile is predicted to break the horizon will allow the beacon tracking system to locate the beacon signal.

A suitable location (fixed land site or aboard ship site) for the missile defense is required to accomplish the scenario described above. This paper presents a statistical method and a LabVIEW modeling software program for choosing missile defense system locations to be included in the missile defense course. This statistical method and a LabVIEW modeling software program would be installed in the search subsystem described above.

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Bittle, C., & Plummer, M. (2007, June), A Statistical Method, Using Labview Software, To Determine Missile Defense System Locations Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--1517