Method and system for defence against surface-to-air missiles

Abstract

A method and a system for defense against surface-to-air missiles (Manpads), which represent a threat to military and civil aircraft during takeoff and landing. For missile defense, the missile is jammed by irradiating it with electromagnetic jamming radiation. This jamming radiation may be constituted of continuous-wave irradiation or frequency packets with a defined pulse repetition rate.

1 . A method for defense against surface-to-air missiles (Manpads=Man Portable Air Defense Systems) which represent a threat to military and civil aircraft during takeoff and landing, wherein the missile is jammed by irradiating it with electromagnetic jamming radiation. 
   
   
       2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic jamming radiation utilizes microwave radiation or radio-frequency radiation as the electromagnetic jamming radiation. 
   
   
       3 . A method according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the electromagnetic jamming radiation utilizes continuous-wave radiation. 
   
   
       4 . A method according to  claim 3 , wherein the continuous-wave irradiation uses a constant jamming radiation frequency. 
   
   
       5 . A method according to  claim 3 , wherein the continuous-wave irradiation is tuned over a predetermined jamming radiation frequency range. 
   
   
       6 . A method according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein frequency packets with a defined pulse repetition rate are used as the electromagnetic jamming radiation. 
   
   
       7 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein there are utilized said frequency packets with a specific constant injection frequency. 
   
   
       8 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein there are utilized said frequency packets with injection frequencies that are varied in steps. 
   
   
       9 . A method according to  claim 6 , wherein there are utilized said frequency packets with injection frequencies that are varied continuously. 
   
   
       10 . A method according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein there are utilized said frequency packets which differ from one another and have pulse repetition rates that differ from one another as the electromagnetic jamming radiation, with time windows, which are governed by the pulse repetition rate of a first frequency packet, being used for at least one second frequency packet. 
   
   
       11 . A method according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein there are utilized parallel additive frequency packets with frequencies which differ from one another as the electromagnetic jamming radiation. 
   
   
       12 . A method according to  claim 11 , wherein there are utilized frequency packets with different pulse repetition rates. 
   
   
       13 . A system for defense against surface-to-air missiles (Manpads=Man Portable Air Defense Systems) which represent a threat to military and civil aircraft during takeoff and landing, including an Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) ( 12 ) and a number of parallel-connected individual modules ( 14 ), which each have a phase shifter ( 16 ), an amplifier ( 18 ) downstream of the phase shifter, an antenna ( 20 ) downstream of the amplifier, and a phase detector ( 22 ), which is associated with the phase shifter ( 16 ). 
   
   
       14 . A system according to  claim 13 , wherein the individual modules ( 14 ) are each connected in parallel with one another by a parallel phase shifter ( 28 ). 
   
   
       15 . A system according to  claim 13 , wherein the parallel-phase shifters ( 28 ) are operatively connected to one another by a joint phased array controller ( 30 ) which processes frequency information from the AWG ( 12 ). 
   
   
       16 . A system according to  claim 13 , wherein there are provided an AWG ( 12 ) and a number of parallel-connected individual modules ( 14 ), each having a pair of mutually parallel phase shifters ( 16 ), a phase detector ( 22 ), which is associated with a respective said phase shifter, an amplifier ( 18 ) downstream of the two phase shifters ( 16 ), and an antenna ( 20 ) downstream of the amplifier, with the respective phase shifter ( 16 ) and the therewith associated phase detector ( 22 ) each having an associated bandpass filter ( 24 ). 
   
   
       17 . A system for defense against surface-to-air missiles (Manpads=Man Portable Air Defense System) which represent a threat to military and civil aircraft during takeoff and landing, wherein there are provided a number of parallel-connected individual modules ( 14 ), which each have an AWG ( 12 ) with an integrated, multi-frequency phase shifter, an amplifier ( 18 ) downstream therefrom, and an antenna ( 20 ) downstream of the amplifier ( 18 ), with the AWGs ( 12 ) being synchronized via a master clock ( 26 ).