January 29, 2025
The Program on Science and Global Security (SGS) supported the development and application of a new open-source software tool to advance the independent technical assessment of ballistic missiles and missile defense systems. The first use case is a study of the utility of Germany’s newly acquired missile defense system intended to counter potential attacks by existing and future Russian missiles.
The new Missile Defense Footprint Calculation and Comparison code was developed under a contract with SGS by Timur Kadyshev, a senior researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH). The software models missiles and missile interceptors and calculates the potentially defendable areas or footprints for a given attack-defense engagement. It is written in Python code and has a graphical user interface. It is available for free download on GitHub here.
The program facilitates direct comparison of footprints for different sets of missiles and interceptors, with missile and interceptor parameters chosen by the user. To help visualize actual defendable areas, the program can draw footprints on maps using the coordinates of missile defense locations and the directions of attacking missiles. The program can manage scenarios with forward-based radars and space-based sensors.
The Missile Defense Footprint Calculation and Comparison code and first use case are detailed in an article by Timur Kadyshev and Moritz Kütt, an SGS visiting researcher also affiliated with IFSH. It was published in January 2025 in the journal Science & Global Security.