India’s Use of Decoys in Contemporary Warfare

Why in News?

India has employed and is in the process of acquiring advanced decoy systems across its military branches to enhance its defensive capabilities especially after successful performance of decoys in Operation Sindoor.

UPSC Relevance 

Questions have been repeatedly asked in UPSC Prelims about Defense technologies.

PYQ 

2025

With reference to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), consider the following statements:  

I. All types of UAVs can do vertical landing.   

II. All types of UAVs can do automated hovering.   

III.All types of UAVs can use batteries only as a source of power supply.   

How many of the statements given above are correct?  

(a) Only one    

(b) Only two  

(c) All the three   

(d) None 

What is a Decoy in Warfare?

• In contemporary warfare, a decoy is a form of military deception designed to confuse, mislead, or overwhelm an enemy’s sensors and targeting systems. The primary purpose of decoys is to create doubt, causing the enemy to waste valuable munitions on false targets and buying crucial time for real assets to evade or retaliate. By doing so, decoys transform deception into a strategic asset.
• Early and Physical Decoys – Historically, militaries have used decoys to achieve surprise and conceal their true intentions. A notable example is the Soviet Union’s use of maskirovka (camouflage and deception) during World War II. 
• Modern Land-Based Decoys – Today, decoys on the ground are more advanced, designed to fool modern intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets like drones.
• Air and Naval Decoys – Modern aerial and naval decoys are often electronic, using technology to mimic a target’s signature on radar or other sensors.

Air-Based Decoys: Operation Sindoor and the X-Guard FOTD

• Operation Sindoor: During this operation, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is believed to have deployed the Israeli-developed X-Guard Fibre-Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD) system on its Rafale fighters.
• Physical Characteristics: The X-Guard FOTD is a lightweight (30 kg), retractable, and reusable system. It is generally towed behind the aircraft hence the name.

• Replication of Signatures: The core function of the decoy is to mimic the target aircraft’s signatures. This includes:
  • Radar Cross-Section (RCS): It replicates the size and shape of the aircraft as seen by enemy radar.
  • Doppler Velocity: It matches the speed of the host aircraft.
  • Spectral Signature: It mimics the specific electromagnetic emissions across multiple radar bands.
• Electronic Countermeasures (ECM): The system can also replicate the Rafale’s onboard electronic countermeasures, creating a more convincing false target for enemy tracking systems.
• Seamless Integration: The X-Guard’s 360-degree jamming signal capability integrates seamlessly with the Rafale’s SPECTRA EW suite.
• Multi-Layered Defense: The combined system creates a multi-tiered defensive shield. SPECTRA detects threats and provides onboard protection, while the X-Guard adds an expendable, following layer of deception, attracting radar-guided missiles away from the main aircraft.
• Reported Success: Analysts believe that during the operation, the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) J-10C fighters, armed with PL-15E missiles, were unable to differentiate between the decoys and the real aircraft. Several missiles reportedly locked onto the X-Guards, leading to premature claims of shootdowns by PAF pilots.
• Future Acquisition: Following this reported success, the IAF is fast-tracking the acquisition of additional X-Guard units via emergency procurement.
• Comparable systems : Leonardo UL’s BriteCloud, deployed on Eurofighter Typhoons, Sweden’s Gripen-Es, and certain F-16 variants; and the AN/ALE-50/55 series from Raytheon/BAE Systems used on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

Land-Based Decoys: The Indian Army’s Strategy

• Request for Information (RFI): In April 2025, the Indian Army issued an RFI to domestic vendors for physical decoys of its Russian-origin T-90S/SK main battle tanks.
• Sophisticated Simulation: The decoys are not just intended to replicate the dimensions of the tanks but also their thermal and acoustic signatures to deceive enemy drones and munitions.
• Strategic Importance: This move highlights the army’s recognition of the growing threat from modern battlefield intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets, such as drones and loitering munitions. The decoys are intended to bait enemy strikes and conserve actual assets.
• Russia’s Inflatech decoys can simulate entire armoured formations within minutes. Ukraine has deployed wooden and 3D-printed fakes to exhaust Russian drone and missile stocks. The U.S. Army too has trialled decoy vehicles to fool top-attack weapons like Javelin anti-tank guided missiles. China has also invested in camouflage and deception technologies across its ground forces.

Naval Decoys

• Navies too employ a layered suite of countermeasures, ranging from floating chaff and acoustic decoys to offboard active deception systems, to protect warships from missile and submarine threats.
• Among the most effective is the self-propelled Nulka active missile decoy, jointly developed by Australia and the U.S., that operates independently of its launch platform and mimics the radar signature of a much larger vessel, drawing radar-guided missiles away from their real target.
• The INS Karanj submarine is equipped with a state-of-the-art torpedo decoy system – Maareech Advanced Torpedo Decoy System (ATDS) designed by DRDO.