During missile attacks on Ukraine, Russia releases so-called false targets, which should provoke the work of Ukrainian air defense and allow the enemy to see the location of these systems.

Aviation expert Kostyantyn Kryvolap explained this in an interview with "RBK-Ukraine". 

Yes, he gave an example of the enemy launching fake targets.

We are talking about the situation when the monitoring telegram channels report about the raising of Russian aircraft into the sky.

At first 

, the launch of the missile seems to be recorded, but then the target simply disappears

from the radar or does not strike.

"There were cases when our command reported after the shelling that the Russians used a false target," the expert noted.

He explained that portable anti-aircraft missile complexes react to the thermal trace of a flying object, that is, they fly and explode at the maximum point of heat.

That is why heat traps are used in helicopters and airplanes.

When an aircraft carrier enters the enemy's air defense zone, it 

fires thermal traps behind it

.

The temperature of these traps is higher than that of the engine nozzle.

In this case, the launched

anti-aircraft missile may deviate from its course

 and head for this trap.

"If we talk about the operation of radar stations, the detection of the target takes place through the fixation of a metal object that will reflect the signal of the station. In order for the object to be displayed on the locator screen, the target must have the necessary signal display surface and mass. And this is based on another method of launch a false target," the expert explained.

He said that today the Russians have started

to install blocks on some Kh-101 missiles

, which are fired during the flight of the missiles and scatter a cloud of various irons.

Then a whole cloud appears on the screens of Ukrainian locators. 

Kryvolap noted that this is a technology of setting obstacles.

In this case,

the launched missile enters this cloud and is masked

, because the beam reflected from the missile becomes smaller than the beam of this cloud.  

"Another scheme of launching fake targets is when the Russians

release not a missile, but some kind of "dummy" without a guidance system.

There were reports that they released missiles from which the warheads with a nuclear warhead were removed, and instead they attached a "dummy" that had the same center of mass and dimensions. It can also be a false target," the expert said.

Another option for using a false target is a situation when 

there are electromagnetic pulses during the missile launch

that can be detected, and they indicate the launch.

"This is called 'an electronic launch of a missile'. That is, the Russians can simulate a launch with electromagnetic pulses, while not physically launching a missile," Kryvolap explained.

He noted that during such maneuvers, Ukrainian air defense systems detect these impulses and prepare to repulse an enemy attack.

Russia uses such fake targets so that the Ukrainians can maximally turn on their air defense assets and allow them to see where they are located. 

It will be recalled that the day before, OC "South" reported that recently invaders often use fake targets in order to find the Air Defense Forces of Ukraine and provoke it.

However, at present, such tactics of the enemy are ineffective.

Note that large-scale air strikes have become more frequent in Ukraine in recent days.

Roman Svitan, a military expert, explained that at that time Russian planes were taking to the air, trying to search for the Ukrainian air defense line.

The enemy needs this to bypass the relevant systems.

Read also:

  • Ukraine news

  • War in Ukraine

  • News of Ukraine: video

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