Dummy weapons deceive Russians: Ukrainian's clever battlefield strategy
The M777 howitzer, concealed in the bushes, was waiting for the Russians to take a shot. The Ukrainians set up bait for the Russian Federation's army, which took the bait and struck the decoy M777 with a Lancet drone.
Both sides of the conflict employ dummy weapons. The Russians use them in various locations, including their ports. For instance, in March this year, British intelligence spotted a dummy submarine painted on concrete in Novorossiysk.
Higher-quality decoys are also utilized on the front lines. These dummies closely resemble real weapons and are not just paintings on concrete. The Ukrainians have demonstrated their capability to create realistic decoys, which are hard to distinguish as false targets from a distance.
In April this year, photos emerged online of Ukrainians showcasing dummy HIMARS launchers and M1097 Avenger anti-aircraft defence systems they had constructed. The month before, the Russian army boasted about capturing a Ukrainian AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar, which turned out to be a dummy.
The defending army can now claim another success. According to the profile @bayraktar_1love on platform X, the Russians fell for the trick again and targeted an M777 Howitzer dummy with a Lancet drone. The Ukrainians have introduced at least a dozen such decoys since the beginning of June.
They thought they were shooting at a real howitzer
As journalist Karolina Modzelewska explained, creating an M777 howitzer dummy costs around $1,000. This is likely because the M777 is a relatively small weapon; few components need to be precisely mimicked in the decoy.
Moreover, the M777 howitzer is quite popular on the front lines. At the beginning of 2023, the Ukrainians received several dozen of them, including from Estonia. The history of this weapon dates back to the 1980s when the British started producing it for the U.S. armed forces.
The Americans, who commissioned the British for its construction, emphasized that the equipment had to meet several conditions: the ability to be transported by C-130 (or larger) airplanes, helicopters, and combat vehicles. They also noted the necessity of adapting the howitzer for unloading on open beaches from light ships and amphibious landing crafts.
As a result, the M777 howitzer was produced. It is 33 feet long (in combat position) and weighs around 8,200 pounds. It uses a 155 mm calibre barrel with a length of 39 calibres for firing, which can shoot high-explosive projectiles up to 15 miles or 19 miles when using rocket-assisted ammunition. The M777 can also fire M982 Excalibur projectiles, which have a range of 25 miles. This weapon requires a crew of 5 to 7 soldiers for operation.
