Airborne IRST system application to tactical ballistic missile defense (TBMD)

Since the close of the Cold War, TBMD has taken-on a new focus land and ship board missile fire control systems are being stretched to provide effective area defense against longer and longer range ballistic missiles. As part of a National Security Industrial Association (NSIA) initiative for N8, a generic study was conducted to determine the role, if any, of Airborne IR technology in TBMD. This paper updates the NSIA study to 1994, including the current state of affairs relative to missile fire control cuing.<>