What is the technique of range gate pull-off in deceptive radar jamming?

The technique of range gate pull-off (RGPO) in deceptive radar jamming is an electronic attack method that steals the radar's range tracking gate away from the true target range by progressively delaying a repeated copy of the radar's own signal. The technique works in three phases: capture phase (the DRFM-based jammer receives the radar pulse, stores it, and retransmits a high-power copy with minimal delay so the false echo initially overlaps the real target echo in range; the false echo's power is set 3-10 dB above the skin return to ensure the radar's automatic gain control and range tracker lock onto the stronger false echo), pull-off phase (over successive pulse repetition intervals, the jammer progressively increases the time delay of the retransmitted pulse, typically by 10-100 ns per PRI; the radar's range gate follows the stronger false echo as it moves to increasing apparent ranges, pulling the range gate away from the true target; the delay increase rate must be slow enough that the range tracker's bandwidth does not lose lock, typically corresponding to a false acceleration of 100-1,000 m/s^2), and break phase (when the range gate has been pulled sufficiently far from the true target (typically 100-1000 m in range), the jammer abruptly stops transmitting; the radar's range gate is now pointing at empty space, and it must reacquire the target; during the reacquisition time (seconds), the platform can maneuver to a different position, making reacquisition more difficult). RGPO is effective against automatic range tracking systems because they are designed to follow smoothly varying target range, which the RGPO mimics during the pull-off phase.