Early warning radar is the core "thousand-mile eye" and "nerve center" of the modern warfare mid-air defense system. Its core function is to detect, identify and track air/space targets in advance, thus creating a critical time window for defense and counterattack, command and decision-making, and force deployment. Specifically, it can be divided into the following four core dimensions:
1. Early Warning: Strive for the "time difference of Countermeasures"
This is the most fundamental and crucial role of the early warning radar. It can detect and issue early warnings to enemy targets (such as fighter jets, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, stealth aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle swarms, etc.) in advance before they reach the target area through long-distance detection (the detection radius of some large early warning radars can reach several thousand kilometers), thus buying precious time for its own side from "discovery" to "countermeasures".
For instance, in the case of ballistic missiles, early warning radars can capture signals within minutes after their launch, providing sufficient preparation time for the activation, deployment and interception calculation of anti-missile systems (such as interceptors), thus avoiding "surprise attacks without warning".
2. Target Recognition and Situation Awareness: Building a "Transparent Map of Space and Air"
Early warning radar can not only "see" targets, but also classify and identify them through signal analysis (such as distinguishing between passenger aircraft and fighter jets, conventional missiles and nuclear warheads, unmanned aerial vehicles and birds), and obtain key parameters such as the speed, altitude, heading and quantity of the targets in real time.
These data will be integrated into a full-domain "air situation map" and transmitted to the command center, helping commanders clearly understand the battlefield's air and space environment and avoid misjudgment (such as mistakenly hitting civilian targets) or missing multiple batches and directions of incoming targets (such as responding to "swarm drone" raids).
3. Guiding Synergy: Linking the "Offensive and Defensive Combat Chain"
Early warning radar is the "information hub" of the combat system and can directly guide one's own combat forces to carry out actions.
Guiding defense: Provide precise target coordinates for air defense missile systems and anti-aircraft artillery units to ensure that interception weapons can be "targeted".
Guide the attack: Provide enemy target positions for one's own fighter jets, bombers, etc., and assist them in completing air interception, penetration or ground strike tasks.
Collaborative multi-domain operations: Share air situation data with cross-service equipment such as naval vessels, army air defense units, and space satellites to achieve integrated attack and defense on land, sea, air, and space.
4. Strategic Deterrence: Strengthening the "Domestic Security Barrier"
For countries equipped with strategic early warning radars (such as large phased array early warning radars and skywave beyon-visual-range radars), the early warning radars can cover vast airspace, territorial waters and even key surrounding airspace, forming a deterrent capability of "early warning + strategic countermeasures".
This ability to "detect and counter the enemy's strategic weapons (such as intercontinental missiles) in advance" can effectively curb the enemy's strategic surprise attack intentions and is an important strategic support for safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial security.