From Soviet Doctrine to Modern IADS: What Was Lost?
From Soviet Doctrine to Modern IADS: What Was Lost? Lessons from Radiolocation Experience Applied to Today’s Integrated Air Defense Systems Executive Summary Modern Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS) are highly technical, yet surprisingly fragile. The key gap is not technology—it is doctrinal rigor and operator experience. What worked in classical doctrine—sector coverage, redundancy, and anticipatory action—is often missing today. 1. Soviet-Era Doctrine: A Benchmark Your operational background reflects Soviet radiolocation principles, which emphasized: Sector and circular radar coverage → overlapping surveillance Frequency diversification → protection against jamming Integration of multiple radar types → early warning + target tracking Pre-planned reaction protocols → readiness based on threat analysis Operational coordination between units → redundancy and survivability These principles ensured: The system reacted before detection became critical. 2. Modern IADS: Technologic...