Russia has begun to equip Shahed drones with fake air-to-air missiles (mock-ups), a tactic intended to deceive Ukraine’s defense systems, said Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, according to Kyiv Post.
Beskrestnov says that Russian forces have installed replicas of R-60 missiles on attack drones, trying to intimidate Ukrainian aviation and attract the attention of interception units.
“The goal is to intimidate our aviation and attract the attention of interception units,” Beskrestnov explained.
Saturation tactic of air defense
The use of decoy drones has become a common practice in Russian attacks, intended to complicate Ukraine’s response to waves of drones. The tactic also suggests a Russian effort to conserve rare weapons, while at the same time complicating the Ukrainian response, forcing defenders to waste resources on decoys.
“The military aviation knows how to respond to such situations,” assured the counselor, emphasizing that numerous interception units from various structures will try to neutralize what appears to be a significant target.
The Shahed drones, of Iranian design, have become one of the main weapons used by Russia for long-distance strikes.