An Army air defense artilleryman works on a Patriot missile launcher in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Feb. 8, 2025. A report from the Modern War Institute says decoys similar to those used by Ukraine could help protect high-value air defense systems from Iranian attacks. (U.S. Army)
The key to protecting billion-dollar U.S. air defense systems from enemy attack could be one of the oldest tricks in warfare: decoys.
The time-tested tactic, most recently used by Ukrainian air defenders to deceive Russian forces, could be useful in protecting high-value U.S. targets in the Middle East, where expensive military radar systems have been destroyed in recent Iranian attacks, according to a new Army research report.
“These techniques have enabled Ukrainian Patriot units to survive for more than three years under constant threat of surveillance, targeting, and attack by a capable and motivated enemy,” the report published by the Modern War Institute at West Point said.
Those same methods could help protect U.S. air defenses in the Middle East, according to the report, which notes that Iran is receiving targeting support from Russian intelligence.
Decoys that have proved effective in Ukraine could therefore help thwart strikes in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, it said.
However, the report adds that U.S. air defense commanders currently lack the resources, authority and training needed to effectively employ decoys.
The report’s authors, Lt. Col. Trevor Alexander and Capt. Christopher Burlison, are currently attached to Security Assistance Group–Ukraine, a command based in Wiesbaden, Germany, focused on capturing and applying lessons learned from the Russia-Ukraine war.
Since receiving U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems from Western countries, Ukraine has used them to defend against missile and drone attacks, making them one of Moscow’s highest-priority targets.
To protect the Patriot systems, the Ukrainians have built convincing replicas using wood, metal and salvaged equipment, the report said. That has yielded decoys that look real to reconnaissance drones flying overhead.
“Although decoys can sometimes be identified upon closer inspection and review of attack footage, by the time one is identified as a decoy it has served its purpose,” the report said. “It delayed enemy targeting efforts and disrupted the targeting cycle, allowing the real unit to either conduct engagements or move to a new location.”
To add realism, Ukrainian teams will remain near a struck decoy, repositioning other elements of the system such as fake radars, launchers or life support equipment, which is intended to leave Russian forces with the impression their attack succeeded.
Russian forces have posted videos on Telegram celebrating the destruction of Patriot systems only for closer inspection to reveal they had struck decoys, the report said.
While Alexander and Burlison focused on lessons from Ukraine, the use of decoys in warfare is hardly new.
Ahead of the D-Day invasion in 1944 during World War II, Allied forces used inflatable equipment, dummy landing craft and fake radio traffic to convince German commanders that the main assault would occur elsewhere.
The deception helped keep enemy forces away from the actual landing beaches in the Normandy region of France.
In the new Army report, the authors say military bureaucracy and regulations can slow innovation. The service needs to delegate authority to lower-level commanders when it comes to developing such equipment, the report said.
In addition, U.S. Army Materiel Command should provide resources to air defense battalion commanders to construct decoys, which also would be incorporated into training programs on passive defense tactics.
Preparing soldiers for future battlefields can be done only by addressing those issues, the report concluded.
