How have deception techniques evolved? | Explained

The story so far: In contemporary warfare, deception has evolved alongside the increasing precision and lethality of modern weaponry. As combat platforms — from fighter jets and tanks to warships — become more sophisticated, so too have techniques developed to shield them from detection and attack. Over the decades, the traditional art of battlefield trickery has merged with digital-age innovations, incorporating decoys and countermeasures designed to confuse, mislead, or overwhelm enemy sensors and targeting systems. By creating doubt and sowing confusion, these decoys not only waste enemy munitions but also buy crucial time for the actual platform to evade or retaliate. Hence, decoys turn deception into a strategic asset as critical as firepower.

How has India deployed decoys?

During Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is believed to have successfully deployed the AI-enabled X-Guard Fibre-Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD) system —developed by Israel’s Rafael — on its Rafale fighters as part of their electronic warfare (EW) suite. Although neither the IAF nor official sources have confirmed the use of X-Guard, former U.S. F-15 pilot Ryan Bodenheimer told Indian media outlets that it was “the best instance of spoofing and deception ever seen.” Confusion persists over how many, if any, Rafales were actually lost in a May 7 strike on Islamist camps inside Pakistan. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) may have downed several X-Guard decoys — trailing about 100 metres behind each aircraft — misidentifying them as real targets.

Analysts believe the PAF’s Chinese-origin J-10C fighters, armed with PL-15E beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, struggled to distinguish between the decoys and actual aircraft. Several missiles reportedly locked onto the X-Guards instead, leading PAF pilots to prematurely claim multiple shootdowns.

How does the FOTD system work?

Acquired via classified channels, the lightweight (30 kg), retractable, and reusable X-Guard mimics the Rafale’s Radar Cross-Section (RCS), doppler velocity, and spectral signature across multiple radar bands. It can also replicate the Rafale’s onboard electronic countermeasures — creating a convincing illusion for both human operators and tracking systems.

Its 360-degree jamming signal capability integrates seamlessly with the Rafale’s SPECTRA (Self-Protection Equipment Countering Threats to Rafale Aircraft) EW suite. While SPECTRA manages threat detection, blocking, and onboard defensive measures, the X-Guard adds a trailing expendable layer, jointly forming a multi-tiered defensive shield. Following Operation Sindoor, the IAF is reportedly fast-tracking additional X-Guard unit acquisitions via the emergency procurement route recently approved by the Ministry of Defence.

Comparable systems include 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. Some of these systems can also be adapted for use on unmanned aerial vehicles such as on Israeli Herons or U.S.-origin MQ-9 Reapers, albeit with onboard signal processing and remote deployment modifications.

What about land-based decoys?

Ground forces too have long relied on decoys to mislead enemy Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) assets and divert precision-guided weapons. Inflatable, radar-reflective, and heat-emitting dummy systems simulating tanks, artillery, missile batteries, and command posts are regularly deployed to bait strikes. From the 1991 Gulf War to the ongoing Ukraine conflict, such decoys have absorbed expensive munitions and disrupted offensive momentum.

With drones and loitering munitions saturating modern battlefields, these ground decoys have become increasingly sophisticated. 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.

In April 2025, the Indian Army issued a request for information to domestic vendors seeking physical decoys of its Russian-origin T-90S/SK main battle tanks to replicate not just its dimensions, but also its thermal and acoustic signatures to deceive enemy drones and munitions.

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.

Ultimately, decoys — across air, land, and sea — have become indispensable to modern warfighting. For a relatively low investment, they deliver high-impact protection.

Rahul Bedi is a journalist based in New Delhi and Chandigarh specialising in military, defence and security matters.