deception jamming

deception jamming

Normal operation. The radar locks onto the target.

Aircraft on edge of beam. The jammer leaks into the antenna via the side lobe and the radar locks onto fake target.

The same process is repeated. Another fake target created.

An electronic countermeasure (ECM) operation whose aim is to deceive enemy sensors, especially radar. It involves transmitting fake return signals that the victim accepts as genuine. These signals often are sent when the enemy's antenna is not directly facing the jammer, so they must be very powerful to seep into the antenna via a side lobe. The fake pulse is then of an appropriate strength to be accepted as genuine.

An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved