What does a soft kill system do?

• A. Engages and destroys missiles before they impact.
• B. Provides passive protection by blocking impact.
• C. Confuses and/or diverts the missile with jammers, decoys, obscurants, and signature reduction measures.
• D. Delays the detonation of incoming projectiles.

Answer: (C)

Soft kill systems defeat threats by deception rather than destruction. They disrupt the missile’s guidance and steer it away from the real target by using tools like electronic jamming, decoys, obscurants, and signature reduction. Jammers flood or spoof the seeker signals, decoys present false targets, obscurants (like smoke) degrade sensor visibility, and reducing the target’s detectable signature makes it harder for the missile to lock on. In short, the aim is to confuse or divert the missile so it misses, not to physically destroy it.