What is the kill chain in air defense operations?

• A. Sensing, correlation/assign, engagement planning, weapon engagement, and post-engagement assessment.
• B. Detection, correlation, engagement planning, coordinated interception, and post-engagement review.
• C. Sensing, engagement planning, target designation, and post-engagement evaluation.
• D. Sensing, correlation/assign, engagement planning, engagement execution, and post-engagement assessment.

Answer: (A)

In air defense, the kill chain is the end-to-end sequence from sensing a potential threat to assessing the outcome, ensuring a timely and effective response. It begins with sensing, where radars and sensors detect and start tracking a contact. Correlation/assignment then combines data from multiple sensors, confirms the target, and assigns a suitable weapon system to engage. Engagement planning is the decision phase that determines how to intercept—the approach, timing, intercept geometry, and rules of engagement. Weapon engagement is the actual execution of firing or launching interceptors against the target. Post-engagement assessment closes the loop by evaluating whether the target was defeated, assessing the effectiveness, and updating the system for future actions. This five-step flow is the most complete and precise way to describe the process, clearly separating planning from execution and aligning with standard kill-chain models. Other options either substitute terms that blur the actual engagement step or omit or reorder stages, which can lead to ambiguity about what happens during the engagement itself.