Military Decoys

Welcome to our comprehensive website dedicated to military tank decoys and replicas of vehicles, aircraft, and weapons. Military dummies are life-sized models of military equipment used for various purposes, including training, deception, and event decoration. These are made from materials like wood, plastic, metal, or fiberglass and are designed to look highly realistic. Inflatable decoys are also commonly used.

In English, these are called „military decoys“ or „military dummies“, and in German they are mainly called „(Panzer-)Attrappen“ or „Scheinziele“, they play a crucial role in military operations to deceive enemies and gain tactical advantages. In the broadest sense, spoofing is about manipulating information that serves as a decision-making basis for the military opponent.

The US Army defines a decoy as „an imitation in any sense of a person, object, or phenomenon that is intended to deceive enemy surveillance devices or mislead enemy evaluation (JP 3-13.4). Decoys may be used in conjunction with other deception activities to mislead enemy intelligence collection and direct the enemy’s attention away from actual forces. Decoys must appear realistic to the enemy sensors to be effective.“ (Source: US Army (2019): Army Support to Military Deception , FM 3-13.4, 1-68)

Types of Military Decoys

1. Tanks: These are replicas of tanks used for decoration, film productions, military exercises, and historical exhibitions.
2. Other Vehicles: These represent various military vehicles such as jeeps, trucks, and armored transport vehicles, serving similar purposes as tank decoys.
3. Aircraft and Helicopter: These replicas are often used in tactical exercises, film productions, and aviation exhibitions.
4. Paratrooper / Soldier Dummies: Also known as „paradummies„, these were first used in World War II to mimic the drop of paratroopers, potentially leading the enemy to reposition unnecessarily or fall into an ambush.
5. Weapon Decoys: These typically include artillery pieces, mortars, or rocket launchers, along with small arms replicas like rifles, pistols, grenades, and mines. They are used in tactical maneuvers, film productions, and training.
6. Radar and Anti-Aircraft System Decoys: These are used in military tactics to deceive or distract the enemy, effectively protecting expensive systems from drones, fighter aircraft, and missile attacks.
7. Ship Decoys: These include ship targets used for training or floating sea targets.
8. Sonar / Radar Decoys: A sonar decoy creates a misleading display on sonar equipment, such as simulating a false target. Advanced radar decoys are able to simulate different airplane types.
9. GPS Spoofing
10. Infrastructure and industrial facilities:Mock facilities are used to represent major infrastructure (such as bridges and railway stations), industrial facilities, power stations, oil/weapons depots and airports.
    However, during the Second World War in the run-up to the D-Day invasion, the Allies not only used inflatable tanks, but also fake airfields and harbours to deceive the German forces about the actual location of the invasion. At the same time, the following dummy installations were operated in Germany: Krupp’s night-time dummy installation as a dummy of the Krupp cast steel factory in Velbert, night-time dummy installation in the Binsheimer Feld of the Rheinpreußen fuel works in Moers and dummy aerodrome and dummy industrial installation at Werl airbase. Near Lauffen am Neckar there was a mock-up of Stuttgart’s main railway station.
    During the Cold War, the Soviet Union built fake industrial plants and power stations to deceive Western spy satellites and to ensure that real strategic targets could not be so easily recognised. It is also reported that North Korea built fake bridges to deceive enemies and ensure that real bridges would not be destroyed by enemy air strikes.

Uses of Military Decoys

• Military Exercises: Decoys are used for tactical maneuvers and simulations to train soldiers and practice scenarios.
• Deceiving the Enemy in War: Military decoys are employed to deceive or distract enemies, providing a cost-effective way to disguise or amplify actual military presence.
• Decoration at Events: Military decoys are frequently used at military parades, commemorative events, and historical reenactments as decorative elements.
• Film and Television Productions: They serve as props for staging war scenes and battles.
• Historical Exhibitions: They offer visitors the opportunity to experience past battles and military equipment up close.

Historical Use of Military Decoys

Military decoys have been used in various ways throughout history. During World War II, armies like the U.S. Ghost Army and British operations „Bertram“ and „Bodyguard“ developed elaborate military dummies to mislead enemies and obscure their intentions. These decoys aimed to mislead enemy troops and create false assumptions about troop strength and positions.

Examples of Historical Tank Decoys

• Sherman Tank Dummy: An inflatable decoy resembling the M4 Sherman tank.
• Tank Decoy on an Off-Road Vehicle: A mobile tank decoy mounted on a frame on an off-road vehicle.

During World War II, the German Wehrmacht also used various tank decoys to deceive the Allies and hinder their attacks. For example, Rommel openly reported to his acquaintance Friedrich Paulus, the quartermaster general, that he had already sent the first 35 tank decoys to the front, with 170 more to follow in a few days.

Modern Use of Decoys by Ukraine and Russia in the War

Decoys also play a significant role in the Ukraine war on both sides. According to the U.S. Naval Institute (April 2024), the main objective of decoys is to extend the survivability of friendly forces while depleting Russian critical munitions. „For more than two years, the Russia-Ukraine war has provided a glimpse into what high-intensity, 21st-century warfare looks like. While much attention has been focused on employing high-tech equipment, a lesser observed but equally important topic is the use of decoys to confuse the enemy. Assembling forces beyond the platoon level has become dangerous, where brigade-level command posts can consistently detect the buildup of enemy forces before frontline troops see them, rousing formidable challenges for attacking commanders and negating the element of surprise. The Russia-Ukraine war provides valuable lessons in adaptability and using decoys to mitigate some aspects of persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) across the forward line of troops (FLOT). In today’s era of great power competition, understanding the enemy’s doctrine and ability to deceive is critical.“ (Source: Jorge L. Rivero (April 2024), Decoy Warfare: Lessons and Implication from the War in Ukraine)

The proliferation of these technologies is growing, with companies like Inflatech providing inflatable tanks, radars, rocket launchers, trucks, aircraft, and naval targets that are often man-portable, can be deployed in ten minutes, and offer packages that allow for self-propelled decoys using remote controls and robotics. More importantly, these decoys can simulate the multispectral signatures of the items they replicate, including thermal, radar, electromagnetic, visual, and even acoustic signatures.

Both Ukraine and Russia use decoys as a tactical tool in the war to achieve various goals:

• Deception and Disinformation: Both parties use military decoys to deceive the enemy and spread disinformation. By deploying decoys, they can create false impressions of troop strength, equipment, or positions to confuse and mislead the enemy.
• Psychological Warfare: Their use can have psychological effects by reinforcing the impression of strength or presence. This can help boost the morale of their own troops while weakening that of the enemy.
• Protection from Attacks: They can also serve to protect real units by drawing potential attacks onto themselves, diverting the enemy’s attention and firepower away from actual troops.
• Preparation and Training: In addition to their use in actual combat, these can also be used for training and preparation purposes, helping troops prepare for different scenarios and train their responses.

Military Decoys in the German Bundeswehr

The German Bundeswehr uses a limited number of fiberglass-reinforced plastic (GFRP) tank decoys exclusively for training purposes.

„In the Bundeswehr, our decoys are used for realistic training,“ emphasizes W. „Especially in the infantry and among reconnaissance units.“ An example is the relatively small turret of the BTR-70 armored personnel carrier. „Made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic here in our own workshops,“ explains Captain W. Although the BTR-70 turret is no longer produced, they have started building the turret of the modern Russian BMP-3 armored personnel carrier, with around 30 units expected to be produced. The decoys are regularly lent out to troops.“

The Technology Base for Camouflage and Deception is a Cold War relic. Specialists from the National People’s Army (NVA) built remarkably realistic decoys of Warsaw Pact military equipment and combat vehicles here. The purpose: to mislead the enemy. And back then, the enemy was NATO. Whether it was a tank, radar system, or missile launch platform, these dummies were visibly displayed to deceive the enemy about their own strength or provoke attacks as decoys, exhausting the enemy’s resources. After reunification, the Bundeswehr took over the site and its capabilities. However, the focus has since shifted. Instead of large full decoys, decoys of small arms or tank turrets are mainly produced for training purposes.

In addition, the Bundeswehr has procured a few Marder dummies made of GFRP from private industry at a cost of EUR 150,000 each.

The Fraunhofer Institute for High-Frequency Physics and Radar Technology (FHR) uses BOXER GFRP decoys. „This GFRP model of a BOXER armored vehicle of the Bundeswehr is used for measuring camouflage materials. There are only three of these models in the Federal Republic.

The model is equipped with tracks on one side and wheels on the other. The weapon station simulates a 20mm cannon and TOW anti-tank missile.“

Due to a lack of equipment, the Bundeswehr has also used broomsticks to represent gun barrels. „Bundeswehr soldiers have mounted black-painted broomsticks instead of gun barrels on their armored vehicles during a NATO maneuver.“

Why Are Tank Decoys Important?

• Realistic Representation: Well-designed decoys provide an authentic representation of military equipment. The decoy must resemble the real tank as closely as possible in terms of shape, size, and color, as well as infrared and radar signatures, to create a convincing deception. Advanced decoys are also mobile and can reproduce engine sounds. They can protect real troops and equipment from enemy attacks by serving as targets to distract fire and attention, thereby increasing the chances of survival.
• Cost-Efficiency: Compared to real military vehicles and weapons, they are highly cost-effective and readily available. For example, while a Leopard 2 tank in the latest version A8 can easily cost over EUR 10 million, inflatable Leopard 2 tank decoys are already available for EUR 25,000. In Ukraine the cost can be as low as EUR 1000 for simple ones. E.g. one small Ukrainian workshop claimed that their products had saved the Ukraine army about EUR 300 million in real military equipment.
• Easy Transportability: A good tank decoy should be easy to transport and quickly set up and taken down, allowing for flexibility in deployment planning. Additionally, logistics costs are significantly lower; for example, inflatable decoys can be carried by two men in backpacks and set up within 10 minutes.
• Safety: Military decoys pose almost no danger compared to real weapons and vehicles due to their lightweight construction.
• Quick Availability: While real military equipment often takes years from order to delivery, decoys can be manufactured within a few weeks.
• Versatility: They can be used for a variety of purposes, from decorations to tactical exercises. The applications of military decoys are diverse, ranging from land, air, and sea camouflage to the simulation of vehicles, aircraft, and other military facilities.

Effectiveness Analysis of Tactical Decoy Deployment

This master’s thesis by Kenneth S. Blanks at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 1994 examines the tactical deployment of decoys and the U.S. Army’s investments in multispectral decoys, including combat simulations with M1 tanks. It concludes that the addition of decoys to the friendly armored task force significantly enhanced the unit’s combat effectiveness. Based on the simulation, the optimal ratio of tank decoys to real tanks is recommended to be 1:1.

Whether for the Bundeswehr, historical exhibitions, film productions, or military tank decoys as well as vehicle, aircraft, and weapon decoys play an important role in various areas. These deception techniques are crucial for modern military operations and can help gain tactical advantages and