Rheinmetall Secures €50M to Supply Bundeswehr with Aircraft Protection Decoys

The Bundeswehr has awarded Rheinmetall a significant contract, valued at nearly €50 million, for the supply of over 470,000 aircraft protection decoys.

The contract, effective from December 2023 to December 2029, underscores the heightened focus on aircraft self-defense amid the current security situation.

Rheinmetall's Birdie product line, standing for "Bispectral Infrared Decoy Improved Efficiency," consists of infrared decoys, or 'flares,' deployed from helicopters, transport planes, and jets. These flares serve to deceive oncoming infrared-homing guided missiles by replicating the heat signature of exhaust gases emitted by the aircraft engine.

The specific decoy products covered under the contract are IR-Birdie 118 BS and IR-Birdie 218 BS, also known as "Decoy, Aircraft, DM189A1, PT" and "Decoy, Aircraft, DM169A1, PT" within the Bundeswehr. These decoys play a crucial role in safeguarding aircraft from infrared-guided threats.

Aircraft self-defense has gained renewed importance in light of the prevailing security conditions. Decoys, such as pyrotechnic flares, offer an effective means of countering infrared search head-equipped surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and air-to-air missiles (AAM). Additionally, other defensive measures, including chaff to disrupt enemy radar, and smoke-obscurant munitions like Rheinmetall's ROSY smoke screen, contribute to comprehensive aircraft protection.