You seems to be missing the point, HARM is designed to attack static radar positions, not something that is on the move. It homes in on Radar signature, if Tor-M1 radar operator turned of his radar, it cant home it. duh!
Then you miss the whole point of SEAD: I want you to turn off your radar so you can't point a missile at me! And if you do turn off your radar, I can have another SEAD aircraft come in while the other provides overwatch, and have him come in with cluster bombs and blow up your missile system.
Also, the HARM missile is being upgraded to the AGM-88E Advanced Anti- Radiation Guided Missile. This upgrade includes the addition of a radar seeker on the missile so if the target radar is shut down, the missile can still home onto the radar by itself.
Even if US managed to developed countermeasures and tactics to deal with these systems, it still need time to mature and train the pilots and also it doesnt immidiately neutralise the threats of these system. Any pilot who has been chased by a SAM would tell you that it's not a very nice experiences even if you deployed counter measures in time, it is mainly a hit and miss affair, and you have to sit and pray that missile goes for the decoys and flares instead of homing in on your plane. The fact that americans taken time to study these systems shows that they are formidable and poses threats to US's air superiority. Remember one of the so-called F-117 stealth fighter was brought down by one of these SAM in Yugoslavia during the balkans war. It just goes to show american air superiority is simply a myth when it come up against sophisticated SAM systems such as these.
It is an act of stupidity if you do not consistently evaluate your opponent's capabilities on a ever on going basis. The Americans have a large stockpile of Russian SAM's they have acquired over the years to test against, take apart, and analyze.
The shoot down of a F-117 stealth aircraft was the results of poor tactics and complacency on the part of the Americans. NATO flew combat patrols on a very regular pace and became complacent as Serbian air defenses did not pose an extreme risk, and as such, flew combat patrols in predictable flight paths over Serbia. And in war, complacency kills.
Beside the point, the F-117 represents 1st generation American stealth technology, as it was designed in the mid 1970's. Also, the F-117 was built on a budget; parts were recycled from various other combat aircraft at the time, such as the avionics and the fly-by-wire systems of the F-16, the engines from a F/A-18, etc. We are starting to see the latest American stealth technology in the F-22 Raptor and B-2 Spirit which have advanced beyond what the F-117 represents. As such, the F-117, is due to be retired by 2008.
