Ukrainian decoys deceive Russian drones, waste valuable resources
The M777 howitzer, hidden in the bushes, awaited the Russians' shot. The Ukrainians set a trap for the Russian Federation's army, which fell for it and struck a worthless mock-up of the M777 with a Lancet drone.
Both sides of the conflict employ weapon mock-ups. The Russians, too, use them in their ports—one notable instance being in Novorossiysk, where British intelligence spotted a mock-up of a submarine painted on concrete in March of this year.
Better quality decoys are also used on the front line. These mock-ups are designed to closely resemble the actual weapon, not just paintings on concrete. In the past, the Ukrainians have demonstrated their ability to create such realistic decoys that they are challenging to identify as fake targets from a distance.
In April this year, photos appeared online showing Ukrainians with their built mock-ups of the HIMARS and the M1097 Avenger air defence system. A month earlier, the Russian army claimed to have captured a Ukrainian AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar, which turned out to be a mock-up.
The defending army can now boast another success. According to the profile @bayraktar_1love on platform X, the Russians were again fooled and struck a mock-up of the M777 howitzer with a Lancet drone. The Ukrainians have delivered at least a dozen of these mock-ups to their arsenal since early June.
They thought they were shooting at a real howitzer
Journalist Karolina Modzelewska explained earlier that creating a mock-up of the M777 howitzer costs around 1,000 USD. This is likely because the M777 is a relatively small weapon with few elements that need to be precisely replicated in the decoy.
Moreover, the howitzer is quite popular on the front line. At the beginning of 2023, the Ukrainians received several dozen units from Estonia. The history of this weapon dates back to the 1980s when the British began producing it for the U.S. armed forces.
The Americans, who commissioned its construction from the British, highlighted that the equipment needed to meet several conditions: the ability to be transported by C-130 aircraft (or larger), helicopters, and combat vehicles. They also noted that it was essential to adapt the howitzer for unloading on open beaches from light ships and landing hovercraft.
As a result, the M777 howitzer, which is 33 feet long (in a combat-ready position) and weighs about 8,200 pounds, was created. It uses a 155 mm calibre barrel with a length of 39 calibres and is capable of firing fragmentation shells up to 16 miles or 19 miles using rocket-assisted ammunition. The M777 is also compatible with M982 Excalibur shells, which have a range of 25 miles. This weapon requires a crew of 5-7 soldiers to operate.
