Support Jamming Electronic Attack

In this chapter we will discuss support jamming principles along with the supporting math [Chrzanowski, 1990; Neri, 2006, Chapter 5; Schleher, 1999; Chapter 4; Van Brunt, 1978]. The effect of the support jamming is to obscure true target signals or introduce false targets. A successful support jammer does this over a wide angular extent about the radar system. The support jamming waveform most often enters the radar antenna through a sidelobe as the radar system is attempting to detect the targets through its mainbeam, as shown in Figure 11-1. Support jamming requires sufficient incident jammer power density to overcome the low radar antenna sidelobe gain. Sufficient incident jammer power density is obtained with a high jammer effective radiated power (ERP) and/or a short radar-to-jammer range. High jammer ERP is obtained either with a high power transmitter or a high gain antenna on the jammer that then must be steered at the radar or a combination of both.