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What are Decoys?
- Decoys are systems designed to confuse enemy sensors, radars, and missiles by imitating real combat platforms.
- They create false targets, waste enemy ammunition, and give time for the real asset to escape or retaliate.
India’s Use in Air Warfare
- The X-Guard Fibre-Optic Towed Decoy (developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems) is a 30-kilogram, retractable, reusable decoy.
- Mimics Rafale’s Radar Cross Section (RCS), spectral signature, and Doppler velocity.
- Works with Rafale’s Self-Protection Equipment Countering Threats to Rafale Aircraft (SPECTRA) electronic warfare suite to create a multi-layered shield.
- Believed to have diverted Pakistan’s PL-15E Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missiles (BVRAAMs) during Operation Sindoor.
Land-Based Decoys:
- Inflatable and 3D-printed dummy tanks, artillery, and missile systems confuse enemy Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems and precision-guided munitions.
- Used in the 1991 Gulf War and the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict.
- In April 2025, the Indian Army issued a Request for Information (RFI) for decoys of its T-90S/SK main battle tanks, replicating thermal and acoustic signatures to mislead enemy drones and missiles.
Naval Decoys:
- Warships use chaff, acoustic devices, and off-board active deception systems.
- Example: Nulka active missile decoy (jointly developed by Australia and the United States), which mimics a much larger ship to divert radar-guided missiles.
Significance:
- Provide low-cost, high-impact protection in modern warfare.
- Increase survivability of expensive platforms (fighter aircraft, tanks, warships).
- Complement electronic warfare and stealth technologies in ensuring battlefield dominance.
Why in News?
- During Operation Sindoor (2025), the Indian Air Force (IAF) is believed to have deployed Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled X-Guard Fibre-Optic Towed Decoys (FOTDs) on Rafale fighter jets to mislead Pakistan’s J-10C aircraft.
