Read previewCovering aircraft with tires, as Russia has done during the Ukraine war, can confuse weapons that are looking for the plane, a US military official said recently.
Multiple Russian military aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers, were spotted last year with tires placed on top of them.
While some observers suggested they might be meant to confuse image-matching weapons, others said they might be intended as shields.
Russia has turned to several different deceptive practices during the war beyond placing tires on its aircraft.
And Russia and Ukraine have both relied on decoy military equipment, such as inflatable tanks, wooden rocket launchers, and fake radar reflectors, among other weapons.
Persons:
—, Schuyler Moore, " Moore, Brace, Moore's, Moore
Organizations:
Service, Business, US Central Command, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Russia, Kyiv, Russian Air Force, CSIS
Locations:
Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow