The Russian army has increasingly begun to use cheap decoy drones that outwardly and in terms of radar signature imitate attack drones such as the Geran. The main feature of such devices is a built-in Luneburg lens, which makes a compact and low-power UAV appear as a large target on radars. According to foreign sources, the Russian military has begun to actively use such "decoys" as part of large group launches.
The design of the decoy devices is maximally simplified. The body is assembled from plywood and foam plastic, there is no warhead inside, and inexpensive aircraft model engines are used as a power plant. At the same time, the Luneburg lens creates a powerful radar reflection, which is why air defense systems can perceive the decoy as a full-fledged attack drone.
According to foreign observers, such devices are increasingly being launched together with real attack drones. In some cases, the proportion of decoys reaches approximately half of the entire group. This creates an additional load on air defense crews and complicates the rapid identification of real threats.
Such tactics rely not on complex technologies, but on mass and overloading detection systems. Cheap decoys force air defense to spend time and resources tracking targets that do not carry explosives, while real attack UAVs can move almost unnoticed in the general group.
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