Soft kill is one of the most powerful, effective, yet underestimated techniques. During naval engagements, most of successful defeats for incoming anti-ship missiles were due to Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) and Decoy Launchers (DL), i.e. soft-kill, rather than to kinetic hard-kill effectors. Kinetic solutions are clearly visible, thunderous, and their performances are often easy to showcase. Instead, soft kill measures are less glamourous, and, despite their proven effectiveness, their features are often classified and shrouded in mystery. In recent times, the significant growth in decoys’ performances, resulting into numerous systems entering in service, was the effect of three key evolutions: 1) Rather than using comparably simple fixed launchers bolted on deck, trainable launchers are becoming more frequent. The are heavier, more expensive and complex, yet they allow to launch decoys in the desired direction, without requiring the ship to turn. This is fundamental when facing supersonic or hypersonic threats demanding immediate reaction. 2) The number of cells/tubes has been growing significantly, thus allowing multiple launches of diverse decoys, both in case of massive attacks and/or to better support specific deception techniques requiring subsequent launches. 3) Launchers became capable of accepting many different types of decoys (long-range, short-range, active, chaff, infra-red, combined, etc.), greatly improving their operational flexibility to answer evolving threats. The decoy payload, and its range, duration, and its deployment technique depend on the desired effect: confusion, dissimulation, seduction, distraction, centroid and range-gate seduction. In some cases, decoys coordinate with active ECM jammers, mutually enhancing their Rear Admiral (Ret) Massimo Annati served for 38 years in the Italian Navy, mostly in procurement and international cooperation. He currently holds the position of Chairman of the European Working Group on Non-Lethal Weapons and is a frequent contributor to Mönch Group publications. From the deck MT 2/2023 · 61 effectiveness. In addition to radar band emissions, decoys are often called to operate against optical and infra-red bands used for detection and weapon guidance. Lots of cells! Israeli vessels are known to carry large numbers of decoy launchers, likely considered less expensive and more reliable than kinetic hard-kill measures. The Elbit Mk4 Deseaver 72-barrel launcher is being offered in three variants: fixed, trainable, and stabilized. Each Eilat-class (Sa’ar-5) and new Magen-class (Sa’ar-6) corvette operates three Deseaver launchers. Decoys can be fired single or in groups of six at once. Rafael produces a full range of 115mm decoys for the Deseaver launchers: Medium-Range Chaff Rocket (MRCR) for distraction, BT-4 short-range chaff rocket for seduction, Heatrap IR decoy for distraction, Wizard (Wideband Zapping Anti-Radar Decoy) inflatable radar reflectors, and Lescut anti-torpedo decoy. In Germany, the wide family of Rheinmetall Waffen Munition GmbH decoys includes the short-range MASS (Multi Ammunition Softkill System), one of the most widely deployed naval countermeasure systems, operating the 81mm spin-stabilised multi spectral Omni-trap munition, covering radar, infrared, laser, electro-optical and ultraviolet (and optionally millimetric) wavebands for employment in seduction, distraction, and confusion modes. MASS exploits a lightweight trainable and stabilized 32-barrel launcher. The base configuration includes one-to-four launchers but can also be upgraded with additional effectors fitted on the launcher itself (piggy-back mode), such as torpedo decoys, radar reflectors, long-range RF chaffs or IR flares. The MASS-ISS variant includes built-in sensors for detecting radar and laser threats, therefore providing a comprehensive self-protection suite for small units without an EW system. In Asia, the Type 726 EW suite represents the standard solution for nearly all recent Chinese naval vessels, and the associated Decoy Massimo Annati Naval Launchers for Chaff-Decoys Naval units’ main protection from missile attacks The large Type-055 Renhai destroyers are fitted with four 24-cell Type 726-4B decoy launchers. In addition, they also show four deck-launchers for inflatable corner reflectors. A similar solution was first adopted by US and UK destroyers. (Photo: Ministry of National Defense People‘s Republic of China)
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