Active Radar Homing - Disadvantages

Disadvantages

There are three major disadvantages to active radar homing:

• Since the missile has to contain an entire radar transceiver and electronics, it was until recently difficult to fit all of this into a missile without unacceptably increasing its size and weight. Even with today's miniaturisation making this possible, it is quite expensive to make these missiles since the sophisticated electronics within the missile are inevitably destroyed upon impact.
• There is very little chance that targets with capable modern radar warning receiver would be unaware that an incoming missile is approaching them. This gives them sufficient time to take evasive action and deploy countermeasures. However, given the accuracy of this homing method, unless the target is especially maneuverable or the missile is not, there may not be much they can do to avoid being intercepted.
• ARH-type missiles lose their effectiveness the closer the target is. Therefore, these types of missiles with this mounted equipment are only effective in long range confrontations.