Chaff and Flare are passive defense systems designed to protect aircraft and helicopters against missile threats in modern air warfare. Rather than being offensive weapons, these systems function as electronic deception measures that mislead enemy radar and infrared-guided missiles. Today, Chaff and Flare are standard equipment on most military aircraft, providing pilots with critical seconds to evade incoming threats. Especially in environments with dense air defense systems, these countermeasures have become an indispensable element of flight safety.

Chaff is used primarily against radar-guided missiles. When released from an aircraft, microscopic metallic strips or fibers scatter in the air, reflecting radar waves and creating false targets. As a result, enemy radar systems lose track of the real aircraft or lock onto an incorrect position. Flare, on the other hand, is deployed against infrared-guided missiles. These high-temperature pyrotechnic cartridges emit intense heat, creating a more attractive target than the aircraft’s engine exhaust and diverting the missile away from the aircraft. In modern platforms, Chaff and Flare systems are integrated with onboard sensors and can be activated automatically or under pilot control when a threat is detected. For this reason, Chaff and Flare are considered among the most effective and cost-efficient countermeasures against advanced air defense threats.