A video of a decoy that unfolds from a recent square box in the shape of the F-35A fighter jet has topped 2.3 million views and gained popularity. The product is a decoy developed by Seawolf Marine, a life jacket manufacturer based in Gimhae. Built in a trailer form, it is easy to move, and two people can assemble a fake F-35 in 10 minutes.
A decoy with an inflatable structure that expands when air is pumped in is designed to make it look like a real weapon from aircraft or satellites, causing the enemy to waste its firepower. As cases of cheap drones destroying expensive weapons increase, decoys are drawing attention as a countermeasure. There is also the purpose of exaggerating combat power to deter the enemy's impulse to invade.
Seawolf is currently producing decoys based on Korea's K9 self-propelled howitzer and K1A2 tank. It is also studying decoys for foreign weapons such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) by Lockheed Martin in the United States and the F-35 fighter jet.
Seawolf exhibited the decoy last year at the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting & Exposition (AUSA) in Washington, D.C.
The K1A2 tank mock-up decoy weighs about 172 kilograms, and the K9 decoy weighs about 163 kilograms, allowing two people to set them up. The F-35 and HIMARS products can be remotely controlled like real vehicles, and the gun barrels that launch missiles move realistically.
Unlike conventional decoys that only mimic shape, Seawolf designed its models to emit electromagnetic waves or generate heat so they can be detected by enemy radar and infrared (IR) sensors.
With conflicts continuing around the world, including the Ukraine-Russia war, interest in and demand for decoys are gradually increasing. According to the British daily The Times, the British military is sending "IKEA-style" assembly kits of decoys that look like real weapons—such as advanced air-defense systems and tanks—to Ukraine.
Among the decoy kits the British military is sending to Ukraine are Challenger 2 tanks, AS-90 self-propelled howitzers, and Stormer armored vehicles equipped with Starstreak air-defense missile launchers.
According to Strategic Market Research, the global inflatable decoy market is expected to grow from about $1.1 billion in 2023 (about 1.5549 trillion won) to about $1.9 billion in 2030 (about 2.6858 trillion won).