The New War In The Air Littorals: Implications For Future Integrated Air And Missile Defenses (From 1945)

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has caused many defense experts and military leaders to posit the existence of a new “mini-domain:” the air littorals. This is the region from the ground to approximately 1,000 ft. As the current conflict demonstrates, this new zone is becoming increasingly central to how the war on the ground is evolving. The air littoral region has seen the proliferation of many new capabilities, most notably in the form of low-flying drones, but also including cruise and anti-tank guided missiles, and even ground-hugging manned platforms. This zone of extreme lethality calls for new integrated defense capabilities to address both airborne threats – particularly drones – and ground-fired weapons. To be effective against mass deployments of drones and missile strikes, defenses will need new multi-mission radars that can track thousands of airborne and ground targets simultaneously. Fortunately, such a capability now exists and can be rapidly deployed. I have written more on this subject here.