Ukraine’s military intelligence has revealed the use of highly sophisticated, decentralized drone operations to eliminate Russian air defenses during deep-strike missions.
From reading, it seems that there are a varied mix of all 3 types: full payload, small payload specifically for the air defence rather than the target asset the air defence is protecting, and no explosive payload.
You can make an argument that only the 3rd type is the only true dummy decoy, but the 2nd one is still intended to trick the air defence that it is a threat to the asset it is protecting rather than only a threat to the air defence system itself.
The full payload like the FP-1 made out of more durable materials and designed travel long distances and blow shit up
The “decoy” is made as cheaply as possible with a radar signature designed to look the same as the full-payload. They can travel long distances as well.
By daylight they look different, at night on radar they look very similar. A good radar technician might be able to spot the difference and not waste the ammo on a decoy.
So Ukraine puts explosives on the decoys and turns them into AA hunters. This forces the AA to fire on all contacts, expending their ammo rapidly. It also gives Ukraine a swarm of armed “decoys” to target any AA. Oh what’s better, announcing that they are doing it makes it MORE effective. The only thing that AA crews can do to avoid becoming a target is to NOT fire.
From reading, it seems that there are a varied mix of all 3 types: full payload, small payload specifically for the air defence rather than the target asset the air defence is protecting, and no explosive payload.
You can make an argument that only the 3rd type is the only true dummy decoy, but the 2nd one is still intended to trick the air defence that it is a threat to the asset it is protecting rather than only a threat to the air defence system itself.
2 different airframes.
The full payload like the FP-1 made out of more durable materials and designed travel long distances and blow shit up
The “decoy” is made as cheaply as possible with a radar signature designed to look the same as the full-payload. They can travel long distances as well.
By daylight they look different, at night on radar they look very similar. A good radar technician might be able to spot the difference and not waste the ammo on a decoy.
So Ukraine puts explosives on the decoys and turns them into AA hunters. This forces the AA to fire on all contacts, expending their ammo rapidly. It also gives Ukraine a swarm of armed “decoys” to target any AA. Oh what’s better, announcing that they are doing it makes it MORE effective. The only thing that AA crews can do to avoid becoming a target is to NOT fire.