TechRussians fooled by NASAMS decoy with pioneering drone tech

Russians fooled by NASAMS decoy with pioneering drone tech

The Russians boasted about a successful attack, claiming the destruction of the Ukrainian NASAMS air defence system. However, the target they hit turned out to be not a real launcher but a carefully crafted decoy.

Model of NASAMS launcher seen from a Russian drone
Model of NASAMS launcher seen from a Russian drone
Images source: © X, @front_ukrainian
Mateusz Tomczak

The incident took place in the Kursk region, where heavy fighting continues. The Russians used an FPV drone in the attack, which communicates via fibre optics. This is a relatively new solution that has been used in the ongoing war as a countermeasure to jammers and anti-aircraft systems.

NASAMS system decoy attacked by Russians

Furthermore, as Norbert Garbarek, wrote, this type of drone provides higher quality image transmission and reduces the possibility of the phenomenon known as "radio horizon". In this case, however, it did not succeed for the Russians, as instead of hitting a real piece of Ukrainian equipment, they struck a decoy.

The real NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System) launcher is a very desirable target for the Russians. It is one of the most valued air defence systems globally and is performing very well in Ukraine, which has received several such complexes from the West.

NASAMS can destroy various targets, including drones, helicopters, aeroplanes, and even cruise missiles. It provides a striking range of up to about 60 kilometres (sometimes less, depending on the target and type of missiles used). The radars detecting enemy targets have a range of up to about 120 kilometres.

This is not the first such blunder by the Russians

Military equipment decoys have proven to be a very successful concept, widely used by the Ukrainians. The Russians have been fooled by such "traps" multiple times, most recently in a situation where they believed they had destroyed a Leopard 2A4 tank from Poland.

Some Ukrainian companies produce decoys resembling artillery pieces and radar stations on a larger scale, with assistance also coming from certain allies, such as the Czech Republic. The Czech company INFLATECH from Děčín produces inflatable decoys, including M1A2 Abrams tanks. This concept is viewed positively enough that some NATO countries are equipping their armies with similar elements.

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