Context:

During Operation Sindoor, India reportedly deployed the AI-powered X-Guard FOTD system to improve the survivability of its fighter aircraft against hostile radar detection and missile threats.

About AI-enabled X-Guard FOTD System

• Developed by: Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
• Weight & Design: A lightweight (30 kg), retractable, and reusable decoy system.
• Function: Mimics the radar signature, Doppler velocity, and electronic countermeasures of a Rafale fighter jet across multiple radar bands.
• 360-degree Jamming: Provides comprehensive radar jamming that works in full 360-degree coverage.
• Integration: Seamlessly integrates with the Rafale’s SPECTRA (Self-Protection Equipment Countering Threats to Rafale Aircraft) electronic warfare suite.
• Role of SPECTRA: Detects threats, blocks enemy signals, and manages onboard defensive responses.
• Multi-tiered Defense: The X-Guard FOTD acts as a trailing expendable layer, creating a layered defensive shield alongside SPECTRA.

Current Status

Following its reported success in Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is expediting the procurement of additional X-Guard units through emergency acquisition.

Did You Know? – Decoys in Modern Warfare

• Land Warfare: Decoys such as inflatable tanks, radar-reflective, and heat-emitting dummy artillery have long been used to deceive enemy intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), diverting precision strikes.
• Historical Use: Effective use of decoys has been recorded from the 1991 Gulf War to ongoing conflicts like Ukraine, where they absorb enemy munitions and disrupt attacks.
• Advancements: Modern battlefields saturated with drones and loitering munitions have pushed decoy technology to evolve:
  • Russia’s Inflatech simulates entire armored units.
  • Ukraine uses wooden and 3D-printed fake equipment.
  • The U.S. is trialing decoy vehicles to confuse advanced missile systems.
• India’s Interest: Recently sought physical decoys that replicate the thermal and acoustic signatures of its T-90 tanks.
• Naval Decoys: Navies employ layered decoys such as floating chaff and active missile decoys like the Nulka system, which mimics large ships to mislead radar-guided missiles.

Significance

Decoys across air, land, and sea domains remain vital components of modern warfare, providing high-value protection at relatively low cost, enhancing survivability against increasingly sophisticated enemy detection and targeting systems.