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New Weapons and the East-West Military Balance
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15834 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
Date : |
1 / 1989 |
2,527 Words |
| Author
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W. Seth Carus
W. Seth Carus is a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near
East Policy. He has written extensively on weapons
proliferation in the Middle East. |
A new generation of military equipment now under development is expected to revolutionize warfare in the next few years. Relying on new technologies that only recently have become available, this new hardware will have the same dramatic impact on warfare that the tank and the aircraft did earlier in the century.
A variety of technological innovations are playing a role in this revolution in military affairs, but two developments are particularly important: new "sensors" and "brilliant" weapons. The new sensors can detect and identify enemy forces at long range. As a result, it will be possible for friendly forces to locate hostile units even if they are far from the battlefield.
Among the sensors that will be available are a new generation of highly sensitive radars, sophisticated reconnaissance cameras, systems for detecting and locating enemy radar and radio transmissions, and infrared sensors that can be used at night or in periods of low visibility to produce television-quality images. These systems will be used from aircraft, inexpensive tethered balloons, remotely piloted low-cost vehicles that can operate over enemy territory without being spotted, and inexpensive satellites that can be launched during periods of crisis (called "Lightsats").
Among the systems that have been developed by the United States are the ASARS II (Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar System), mounted on high-flying TR-1 aircraft (a version of the U-2 spy plane). This radar reproduces high-quality images of objects like bridges, buildings, or air bases at distances of more than 100 miles. Similar kinds of radar are being developed in small packages that could be placed on small, remotely piloted vehicles.
One of the most sophisticated of the new sensor systems now under development is Joint STARS (the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System), which consists of a large radar mounted on a converted Boeing 707 aircraft. This radar is specifically designed to detect moving vehicles at distances of more than 100 miles. The target information can be transmitted to other places as it is gathered, so that aircraft or artillery units can attack the enemy forces.
Flying Cameras
Even some more traditional sensors are undergoing changes that will dramatically enhance capabilities. U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft are now being provided with video
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