Optimal Allocation and Effectiveness of Midcourse Interceptors in a Layered Defense

Adaptive preferential employment of interceptors in midcourse ballistic missile defense is considered. The defense discriminates decoys, with such discrimination characterized by a K factor, and determines optimal intercepts and salvo structure in shoot look shoot scenarios. The attackers strategy to determine proper allocation of warheads to targets of varying value in the presence of a defense is also described. Representative results are presented for the effectiveness of the preferential midcourse defense by itself and in conjunction with a random subtractive boostdeployment phase defense tier. Quality of discrimination is by far the strongest determinant of performance the ability to perform a shoot look shoot is also important. Inventory requirements for midcourse and boost phase defenses are determined for missions in which target value saved is the goal, for representative defense parameters. Based on these results, the midcourse tier appears to be a necessary component of a cost effective defense.