Ukraine employs phony HIMARS made of wood to entice Russia into wasting cruise missiles. The United States asserts that the invaders “claim to have hit more HIMARS than we did!
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In the current conflict, Ukraine has employed a fleet of decoys to fool Russian forces.
The decoys attracted ten Russian missiles, a successful beginning that led to growth.
Multiple times, Russian defense officials have reported effective HIMARS strikes.
However, the Pentagon, which supplied Ukraine with 16 HIMARS, denies these assertions.
Ukraine has employed a fleet of decoys simulating modern U.S. rocket weapons (HIMARS) to deceive Russian forces into squandering costly long-range cruise missiles on phony targets.
According to The Washington Post, the wooden Ukrainian decoys seem identical to artillery batteries through the lens of Russian drones, which send their locations to naval cruise missile carriers in the Black Sea.
A senior Ukrainian official stated, “When the UAVs see the battery, it’s like a VIP target,” in reference to unmanned aerial vehicles seeing replicas of long-range artillery.
Ukraine has employed a fleet of decoys simulating modern U.S. rocket weapons (HIMARS) to deceive Russian forces into squandering costly long-range cruise missiles on phony targets.
A senior Ukrainian official who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity claimed that after a few weeks in the field, the decoys attracted at least ten Kalibr cruise missiles, a success that prompted Ukraine to expand production of the duplicates for wider usage.
The employment of rocket system decoys demonstrates Ukraine’s willingness to employ unconventional tactics against a superior military force.
The destruction of Ukrainian duplicates may explain why Russia has often boasted that it has destroyed a large number of US-made missiles, notably the long-range HIMARS missile system, statements that the United States has deemed “patently false.”
A U.S. envoy stated, “They claim to have hit more HIMARS than we have ever sent.”
Last month, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu instructed his generals to prioritize the elimination of the long-range artillery weapons, which had attacked vital Russian supply routes.
Nearly every week, Shoigu and other Russian defense officials claim additional successful strikes on rocket systems supplied by the West, notably the lighter-weight HIMARS manufactured in the United States.
The Ukrainian decoys are composed of wood, yet through the lens of Russian drones, they cannot be distinguished from an artillery battery.
The destruction of Ukrainian duplicates may explain why Russia has repeatedly claimed to have destroyed a large number of US-made missiles, including long-range HIMARS missile systems, assertions that the United States has deemed to be “patently untrue.”
However, a Pentagon spokeswoman explicitly refuted Russia’s assertions, stating that all HIMARS supplied by the United States were accounted for.
The Pentagon’s acting spokesperson, Todd Breasseale, stated, “We are aware of Minister Shoigu’s most recent claims, and they are again blatantly wrong.”
‘However, what is occurring is that the Ukrainians are utilizing each of the completely accounted-for precision missile systems with deadly accuracy and efficacy.’
According to the Pentagon, 16 HIMARS have been given to Ukraine since the start of the conflict.
Allies of the United States have supplied M270 rocket systems with comparable functionality.
“If the Russians believe they have hit a HIMARS, they will claim they have,” said George Barros, a military researcher at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington.
After hitting HIMAR decoys, it’s possible that Russian forces are exaggerating the extent of battle damage.
The advantages of decoys on the battlefield for Ukraine are threefold, according to military strategists.
A Pentagon spokeswoman categorically refuted Russia’s assertions, stating that all HIMARS supplied by the United States were accounted for.
Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defence for policy, stated earlier this month that U.S. export curbs on microchips make it’much more difficult’ for Russia to replace its inventory of precision-guided missiles.
Rob Lee, a military analyst at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, stated, “A Kalibr missile fired at a phony HIMARS target in a field is a weapon that cannot be used against a Ukrainian city.”
A further benefit of decoys is that they could cause the Russians to take precautions and relocate their ammo storage and command and control stations beyond the predicted range of the HIMARS.
Barros stated, ‘Such a restructuring would diminish the Russians’ ability to stockpile artillery fires, a tactic they’ve used to advance in eastern Ukraine.’