Russian drone strike hits Ukrainian decoy, not real target
The Russians claimed a successful attack resulting in the destruction of the Ukrainian NASAMS air defence system. However, the target they hit turned out to be a carefully crafted decoy, not a real launcher.
The incident occurred in the Kursk region, where heavy fighting is still ongoing. The Russians used an FPV drone for the attack, communicating via fibre optics. This relatively new solution has been employed in the continuing war to respond to jammers and anti-aircraft systems.
NASAMS system decoy attacked by Russians
Additionally, as Norbert Garbarek, a journalist from Wirtualna Polska, 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, the Russians did not succeed as they struck a decoy instead of hitting a real Ukrainian equipment.
The real NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System) launcher is a highly desirable target for the Russians. It is one of the most valued air defence systems globally and performs very well in Ukraine, which has received several such complexes from the West.
NASAMS can destroy various targets, including drones, helicopters, airplanes, 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 tactic, widely used by Ukrainians. The Russians have been fooled by such "traps" several times, most recently in a situation where they thought they had destroyed a Leopard 2A4 tank from Poland.
Decoys resembling artillery pieces and radar stations are produced by some Ukrainian companies on a larger scale, with additional assistance coming from 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.
