One of the Ukrainian companies has created a rapidly deployable mock-up of the Strela-10 air defense missile system.

Photos of the model were published by the Sunflower Telegram channel.

The model consists of a metal frame covered with a printed cloth mimicking the real system.

Due to the fact that the frame is made of metal, it can imitate not only the appearance of a real machine, but also have a similar signature in radar reconnaissance.

The model can reportedly be assembled in just 10–15 minutes. In addition to SAMs, the company also produces models of tanks and self-propelled artillery systems.

Such models are already being ordered and used by the Defense Forces at the frontlines.

Mock-ups in the Ukrainian army

After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, numerous versions of models of various equipment, from mock mortars and armored vehicles to radars and Patriot air defense systems, were developed and put into use.

Placed along the entire front line and well-camouflaged, the mock-up models allow for misleading Russian aerial reconnaissance units that launch missile and artillery strikes.

Moreover, the high quality of the workmanship often prevents even operators of barrage drones such as Lancet from recognizing a false target when they approach it closely.

Some Russian propagandists do not even hesitate to present mock-ups as real equipment in their posts. This was the case, for example, with a model of a Leopard 2A4 tank.

“A trophy German Leopard 2A4 tank has been destroyed,” the Sith’s Corner propagandist wrote on his Telegram channel.

Such structures perform two important tasks simultaneously. They take on some of the enemy’s attacks, including missile attacks, thereby reducing the enemy’s firepower. They also save the lives of the Ukrainian military.