Unhappy landings: Russians making mistakes that give away their own fake aircraft
Russia is undermining its own attempts to conceal its aircraft from Ukrainian attacks by painting decoy warplanes on the ground - because its real aircraft keep landing on top of them.
In its latest intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine on X, the UK's Ministry of Defence released more images showing decoy aircraft at an airfield in Crimea.
Last month, the MOD said it believed Russia was employing similar techniques to conceal surfaces vessels and submarines.
"At Kirovskoe airfield in occupied Crimea there are decoy Russian fighter aircraft painted on the concrete," wrote the MOD.
"Such paintings have also been observed across at least 12 more Russian air bases, demonstrating the extent of Russian concern of future Ukrainian strikes and their ability to repel them.
"However, Russian helicopters still regularly land on the painted decoy fighter silhouettes, completely undermining the deception attempt.
"It is likely that as a result of continued successful Ukrainian strikes on military locations, Russia has been forced to implement a number of decoy and deception techniques in an attempt to obfuscate Ukrainian targeting efforts."
Images released by the MOD show what appears to be a decoy Sukhoi Su-30 Russian fighter aircraft that has been painted on the concrete hardstanding at Kirovskoe airfield, with a helicopter having landed right on top.
The MOD has already identified several other painted Russian vehicles, including decoy-painted silhouettes of submarines.
Landing helicopters or parking fixed-wing aircraft on top of the decoys will undermine any deception attempts and efforts the Russian air force is making to protect their aircraft, and may even result in losses.
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