Russian missiles wasted on Ukrainian decoy weapons

The Russian Federation's army continues to squander valuable missiles on combat missions against decoy weapon dummies used by the Ukrainians. The Russians fell for a long-standing tactic and fired a Krasnopol precision missile at a mock-up of a towed M777 howitzer, caliber 6 inches, which costs around $1,000 to produce. In comparison, a single Krasnopol missile costs about $40,000.

The use of mock military equipment is a tactic employed by both sides of the conflict – both Ukrainians and Russians. The former has mastered the skill of building equipment that effectively lures Russian missiles and drones.

So far, the Ukrainian mock-ups seen on the front line are not just paintings on concrete – as the Russians used to do not long ago – but high-quality constructions that often closely resemble actual weapons. Examples of such works include mock-ups of the HIMARS and the M1097 Avenger air defense system and the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar, which the Russians mistook for actual equipment.

The army of defenders continues to target the Russians and consistently employs a refined tactic of luring the enemy with dummies of marginal value – particularly given the value of the missiles the Russians use to strike false targets. A recently published photo showed a Russian weapon striking a mock-up of an M777 howitzer camouflaged in bushes. Now, the Ukrainians report another such incident.

According to the Military News UA profile on platform X, Ukrainian soldiers showed a photo of a homemade mock-up of a towed M777 howitzer, caliber 6 inches, destroyed by a Krasnopol precision missile. The Russians once again struck equipment that essentially has no value – it only serves to attract attention and, under the guise of concealment, lure strikes with valuable Russian missiles.

To explain, the weapon the Russian Federation used to shell the Ukrainian dummy, the 30F39 Krasnopol, is a Russian artillery shell, caliber 6 inches, that uses a laser beam for targeting. The export version (Krasnopol-M) has a caliber of 6 inches.

The probability of hitting the indicated target with this missile is as high as 95%, with a maximum target speed of 22 mph. The ammunition weighs approximately 110 pounds, with the warhead alone accounting for 23 pounds, of which the explosive material weighs 15 pounds. The range (depending on the version) reaches between 12 miles and 16 miles.

The towed M777 howitzer, which the Russians struck with a dummy, is a popular weapon at the front. In its original version, it was received by the defenders, among others, from Estonia in 2023. This equipment was manufactured by the British, who worked on behalf of the USA and had to construct a weapon of suitable size to fit into C-130 planes. It was also crucial for the American military to adapt the howitzer for offloading on open beaches from lightweight boats.

The M777 measures approximately 33 feet in length in combat position and weighs 4 tons. It can hit targets using its 6-inch caliber barrel, which has a length of 39 calibers. With improved ammunition (with additional rocket propulsion), the barrel can launch missiles up to a distance of 19 miles. The M777 can also fire M982 Excalibur rounds, which reach a distance of 25 miles.