Posted on 08/30/2022 4:08:23 AM PDT by Timber Rattler
Ukraine may be outgunned but in the latest sign it is not yet outfoxed, a fleet of decoys resembling advanced U.S. rocket systems has tricked Russian forces into wasting expensive long-range cruise missiles on dummy targets, according to interviews with senior U.S. and Ukrainian officials and photographs of the replicas reviewed by The Washington Post.
The Ukrainian decoys are made out of wood but can be indistinguishable from an artillery battery through the lens of Russian drones, which transmit their locations to naval cruise missile carriers in the Black Sea.
“When the UAVs see the battery, it’s like a VIP target,” said a senior Ukrainian official, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles encountering long-range artillery replicas.
After a few weeks in the field, the decoys drew at least 10 Kalibr cruise missiles, an initial success that led Ukraine to expand the production of the replicas for broader use, said the senior Ukrainian official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
The use of rocket system decoys, which has not been reported previously, is one of many asymmetrical tactics Ukraine’s armed forces have adopted to fight back against a bigger and better-equipped invading enemy. In recent weeks, Kyiv’s operatives have blown up rail and electricity lines in occupied Russian territory, detonated explosives inside Russian arms depots and assassinated suspected collaborators.
The destruction of Ukrainian replicas may partially account for Russia’s unusually boastful battle damage assessments on Western artillery, particularly the U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS.
“They’ve claimed to have hit more HIMARS than we have even sent,” one U.S. diplomat observed.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
In other words, the 40 billion got lost in transit, and somebody filled their pockets. That’s life in Eastern Europe. To their credit, they got lemons and made lemonade.
Decoys worked in WW2, makes sense it would still apply today given the way Russian military operates.
In WW2 we didn’t brag about their use. Kinda defeats the purpose. Deep thinkers these Ukes.
I bet all those dead Ukes think this is real clever because it saved so many lives...... oh wait!.. Our pockets are getting drained daily for cheap rubber rocket launchers bought on Ali Babba.
Perhaps the Ghost of Kiev is riding atop this fabulous “machinery”.
Looks like the Russia’s done blew up all the Uke artiilery into twisted scraps of metal.
Might as well move on to the decoys....
Ah, but what this means is Russia will now be second-guessing every target they’re handed by collaborators and spotters. If their ammo is being depleted they can’t afford to shoot first and ask questions later, as they were doing a few months ago.
Good psyops.
The Ukes are giving away the strategy and tactics the US would use in a live war.
Agreed. Also, you can put inexpensive heating pads at various locations on the decoy so that if a drone sees it in the infrared, it will look real.
It's basically the same as the enemy knowing that you camouflage your gun positions. Sure, they know that you're using camouflage. But unless they know where the actual position is, it doesn't do them any good.
“The Ukes are giving away the strategy and tactics the US would use in a live war.”
No they’re not.
Haha. They DO NOT look real enough to fool anybody. Look at the decoys that were used by the allies in WWII for a reference.
"I blew up tanks..."
Lol. That really blows.
Old tricks still work. In the War Between the States, they called them Quaker guns. They often pulled in lots of enemy fire and the log painted black and sticking out of the fake redoubt was completely destroyed.
The cheap Russian drone images beamed back to their TOCs will have their S2 not being able to tell the difference.
I’ve seen no evidence for your allegation.
Stop worrying about the money. It’s none of your business
“The cheap Russian drone images beamed back to their TOCs will have their S2 not being able to tell the difference“
Let’s be real here…..The cameras mounted on drones from Walmart could zoom in enough to see the stitching on those things.
I didn’t say *all* of them; and it’s tempered by the fact that neither side has free run of the air space, which the US is accustomed to.
I don’t know who took the money, but they wouldn’t be putting up decoys if they had the real McCoy and were firing it. It’s admirable, actually. Resourceful way to make do without real weapons, if you have to. The conduct of this war is everyone’s business.
‘...Let’s be real here…..The cameras mounted on drones from Walmart could zoom in enough to see the stitching on those things...”
They are not going to be sitting in a Walmart parking lot. They are going to be covered with camo netting in tight clearings in the woods. Set up right, it will pull in fire.
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