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By- Engr. Sheikh Sayeed
Chief Engineer, Ali M. Shihab Est. INTRODUCTION:
MISSILE is a well-known word. It is a weapon of modern warfare technology. It is based on electromechanical control system and completely equipped with electronics technology by its own homing radar and lunched with the help of long range tracking and attacking radar control system from a station. Primarily a station’s radar track the target, on tracking identifies friendly or foe targets including target’s type, size, range, direction and all other necessary data. By the control system of attacking radar when a missile is lunched toward target, then its secondary system activated in side of it. The secondary system’s technology is self-contained. Missile is a simplest form of rocket self powered engine for flying a distance as it is guided without pilot. Inside the missile a homing radar is equipped to detect and track the given target accurately after lunching until it hits the target, it carries a limited to multi-ton powered common explosive or as it is designed even by chemical or atomic warhead. So, three basic things are there; a primary a station’s radar track the target, in missile its self engine and radar system determine the accuracy to hit the target and warhead of a missile determines the causing danger of its explosion. It should be mentioned here that guidance is the most significant characteristic of modern missiles, without guided system it would give uncertain result. Complete guiding system is carried out by electronics radio and radar technology
ANCIENT HISTORY
At ancient period to survive men fought by their own body against the enemy and animal. Perhaps to save their body they used throwing pieces of wood and stone as clubs on critical situation, long before they began carry weapon with them. From a self hided and secured area any object that can be thrown toward a certain target is termed as basic idea of missile in its simplest from of history. So basic idea of missile has been started from ancient period, when people first learned to keep themselves secure and to attack animals or enemy is by throwing stones or any other material, at then and there the concept of missile was established. Full effort useful concept of a missile was established by Germany soon after First World War with the help of pure science and technology from basic idea. According to Encyclopedia of Britannia, Missile is self powered, self guided or radio controlled weapon with explosive warhead the at detonate either on contact or before impact by a present situation. Presently missiles gain their advantages form speed, agility, multiple launch capability and the intelligence to recognize valid target and ignore decoys. So the advent of missile has changed the warfare at land, sea and air. MODERNIZATION OF GUIDED MISSILE Missile system development was started in 20th century. First of all a liquid power propelled rocket was launched on 16 March 1926. During 1939-45 second world war, with the full support of Nazi government, Von Brown produced the V-I, a self guided missile which was actually a primitive cruise missile, and the V-2, that would be the first ballistic missile. At the end of world war-II, the US Navy had a number of guided missile projects in various stages of development. The Gargoyle was an air-launched, rocket engine liquid powered, radio-controlled guide bomb. Another guide bomb the ‘Glomb’, carried a tele camera-vision monitoring system. The Loon was a US Navy version of the German V-I, intended for shore bombardment. In 1947 the United States demonstrated that a V-2 could be launched from the deck of a ship at sea. In 1958 the two stage polarized missile was first tested and it was fired under water in 1960. After that such test was continued in many countries.
TYPES AND CLASIFICATION
Method of guidance is used in missile; depend on the mission on and characteristics of the missile. Short range missiles can be guided by command system or by homing radar system. For long range missiles-radio, radar or inertial navigation is usually used. All of the missiles which maintain electromagnetic radiation contact with man made sources may be subdivided into tow categories according of guidance system which are namely:
i) Command Guidance Missile.
ii) Homing Guidance Missile. Guided missiles have many categories according to the different combat tasks which are namely:
a) Shore/Ship/Air to ship missile.
b) Shore/Ship/Air to air missile.
c) Shore/Ship/Air to submarine missile
d) Shore/Ship/Air to shore missile. All above are in two main categories such as:
A) Cruise missile and
B) Ballistic Missile. MOVING TOWARDS THE FUTURE Anti-ship missiles: The area of the modern anti-shop missile is generally considered to have started in 1967 with the sinking of the Israeli destroyer Eliat by SS-2 Styx missiles launched from Egyptian Komar class Fast Attack Craft’s in Port Said. In the 28 years since the sinking of the Eliat, navies around the world have rushed to acquire anti-ship missiles and there could be some 10,000 missiles in this category currently deployed. Besides Russia Western nations also started developing and fielding their anti-ship missiles. In the early 1970s, France introduced the MM-38 Exocet missile. Other examples of this generation of missiles include the IAI Gabriel missiles and the Norwegian NPT Penguin. After these, USA introduced RGM-84 Harpoon and Franco-Italian industries introduces ‘Automat’. By France and Britain another trend was the development of light weight anti-ship missiles for use by helicopters is ‘Sea Skua’. By this time penguin was included in this group. Modern world, to defense missiles against any anti-ship weapon, either hard kill or soft kill, improved systems are being developed for anti-ship missiles, Exocet MM-40 Black-2 is the modern version of MM-38 with a new homing head that provides, greatly increased target discrimination capabilities to take into account improvement in counter measure. Although high speed systems might be seen as the future in the west, in other parts of the world they are a reality today. Russia already fields and effective supersonic anti-ship missiles in the form f the SS-N-22 sunburn, or the 319-80. The KH-31A, anti-ship version of the air to surface AS-17 Krypton has March 3.5. China has deployed at least three different types of supersonic anti-ship missile in the form of the C-101, C-301 and VJ-1 and two others the FL-7 and HY-3 looking at future, anti-ship missiles from an European perspective, there is already a live program for a new generation missile Anti –Military Nouvelle Generation (AMNG) by France and Germany. Similar programs are taken by Britain, Italy, Netherlands and Spain, even also in some under developments countries. Air and Surface Defense Missile: When now obsolete sea slug (GWS-1) naval air-defense missile was being development for Royal Navy soon after the second world war, the requirement defining sea slug-1 stipulated that the missile should be able to engage a high altitude 650kt bomber at a range of about 15nm. At present, in USA and Europe several key naval air defense program are underway which will see the next generation of surface combatant equipped with high performance missile linked to new electronically scanned radar. New electronic support measures (ESM) and infrared search and track system (IRSTS). In this respect , NATO’s “Sea sparrow” and Italian “Aspide / Albatross missiles are designed. The USA made ‘RIM-7M’ provides more ready missiles and a faster engagement sequence with improved performance against sea skimming anti-ship missiles. Rolling airframe Missile (RAM), Crotal Naval VT-1, Sadral/ Mistral, Aster, Idera, VL Sea wolf-all are modern air defense missiles developed by NATO countries. New US missile AIM/RIM-7p which is under development will have many advance facilities. EUROSAM is going to develop a point defense missile system primarily directed against anti-ship missile either with sea skimming or high angle dive terminal phase which is known as SAAM (Surface-to-air Anti-missile) system. The Russian navy currently acquired six new air-defense missile systems which are SA-N-8 Gremlin, SA-N-1, SA-N-11, SA-N-9, SA-N-4 Gecko, and SA-N-7 Gadfly. China has developed point defense surface to-air missile system, SD-1, PL-9N ‘Silk Worm’ etc. ‘Akash’, ‘Agni’, ‘Pritthi’, are Indian made revised version of Ex-Soviet Union. Similarly almost all European countries, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Pakistan, Iran, both Koreas, etc having there own and modified versions. Now a days almost 90% of total countries having low to medium range missile supported defense form. Long range Intercontinental Ballistic missiles are under control to the military super power countries only. But many countries have acquired greater offensive power due to the introduction of different kinds of missile in the inventory. HARD AND SOFT KILL
Hard and soft kill terms are used for anti-missile defense or in counter operation. In modern world it is very rare to find a modern defense vessel that does not go to combat with an array of ‘Hard Kill’ systems such as anti-missiles, counter missile and gun-based CIWS systems, or ‘Soft Kill’ systems such as chaff and decoys or active jammer (Missile misguiding equipment). To defense against the threat posed by the modern anti ship, surface and air missile (ASSAM) and its continued evaluation. New anti missiles are developed with high effective sensors, higher speed and anti-jamming capabilities. British made “GWS-25 Sea Wolf” system used against France made Air force fighter plane “Super Attainders” using by Argentina and the British royal navy successfully win the war. France air-defense missile ‘Crotale’, Israeli Navy’s ‘Barak’ system, American ‘Rolling Air Frame Missile (RA-19)’, Russian version was in Iraqi ‘Scard’ missile system are the successor in the field of missile operation. But the US made ‘Patriot’ missile of anti missile operation was most successful to destroy the missile in air before it hits. Even applying all counter system; missile operation has proved there is no successful method to protect a missile, in last three decades of war at Gulf, Arabian Peninsula, finally in Afghan and twice Iraq attacks. Now it becomes a military slogan “More Missile More Win”. We can say with the last 60 years since the first naval missile went to sea. The side spread development of guided missile at top of most military armament lists of almost all defense forces. Missiles are fast, relatively small, hard to detect and difficult to defend, which can be launched from a variety of platforms such as land and air craft, helicopter, surface ships and submarines. CONCLUSION
With the technological development, the capability and accuracy of missiles have increased wide significantly. Until now with a missile a general type medium category explosive is used. But it is not in imagine what may cause by using ultra explosive or chemical or atomic warhead if used. In present era different modern guidance systems are used in missiles to make its accuracy as perfect as possible with the modern science. In future battle, guided missile will dominate the world and will be the deciding factor of war win. In the modern warfare missile have already become the prime weapon of defense forces and have greatly expended the radius of combat zones not only in the earth but also in sky as a denoted ‘STARWAR’. We are looking forward to see the future world, but most of us forget that we are at every corner of the earth are inside the target’s range of modern scientific weapons against any possible or impossible attack. In this earth nobody is out of missile range. We should know our threat have determined from many corner by many MISSILES. Reference: 1. Encyclopedia Britannia.
2. World Military Strategy.
3. Military Science and Technology. |
