• The mis-association of false alarms with target tracks has two main e!ects. 

- It tends to increase the actual tracking errors in the system because the introduction of measurements from false alarms will have different noise properties to those of the target.
- Secondly, the track could become ‘locked' onto the false alarm rather than the true target. Once several false alarms have been associated with the track, the track states reflect the properties of the false alarm rather than the target, making mis-association more likely.
- This is the basis for many missile countermeasure systems (e.g. ?ares as EO countermeasures).
- Since missiles can be programmed to ignore targets that undergo rapid manouveres (such as being dropped out of a flare/chaff dispenser), flares and radar decoys are now designed to follow the trajectory of the aircraft for a short distance to ‘lure' the missile away from the aircraft.