Missile Approach Warning - Types of Missile Approach Warning (MAW) Systems - Ultra Violet Based MWS

Ultra Violet Based MWS

Advantages

• Operates in solar blind UV spectral wavelength region and therefore has no natural (sun) false alarms. UV based MAW systems therefore have a much reduced false alarm problem to solve compared to IR based systems.
• Very good probability of warning in high clutter background environments.
• All-weather operation, as it is impervious to solar clutter, and hardly affected by liquid water.
• Wide instantaneous field of view.
• Provide very good AOA information for good decoy dispensing decision making, maneuvering and for pointing DIRCMs.
• Has fast response time against nearby missile launches.
• Is a simpler system than Pulse Doppler & IR technologies.
• Does not require cooling and needs only moderate computing power.
• Low life cycle cost.

Disadvantages

• To detect approaching missiles, the rocket motor of the missile must be burning - it requires the high effective burning temperatures associate with solid fuel rocket motors.
• IR based systems probably better at altitude but UV better against surface to air missiles.
• Cannot provide actual range information but can derive TTI from the rapid increase in amplitude of the approaching missile’s signal.
• Detection range could be limited against future new technology low IR/UV emission rocket motors.