DRDO develops Advanced Chaff Technology for Indian Air Force

What is the News?

Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an Advanced Chaff Technology to safeguard fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) against hostile radar threats. 

What is Advanced Chaff Technology?

1. Chaff is an electronic countermeasure technology. It is used by militaries worldwide to protect their assets like naval vessels and aircraft from radar and radio frequency(RF) guiding mechanisms of the enemy missile.
2. A very little quantity of chaff material deployed in the air acts as a decoy.
3. The chaff deployed in the air reflects multiple targets for the missile guidance systems, thus misleading the enemy radars or deflecting adversary missiles.

Who has developed this technology?

1. The advanced chaff technology has been developed by DRDO units Defence Laboratory Jodhpur and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL).

Difference between Chaff and Flares:

1. Chaff and Flares are both used as defensive countermeasures to confuse the radar from detecting a vessel or deflect the missiles from the target.
2. But there is a major difference between the two. While flares, when fired, generate a strong infrared source to attract heat-seeking missiles, chaff is used to misguide radar-tracking weapons.
3. Chaff is composed of many small aluminium or zinc coated fibres. It will be stored on-board the aircraft as cartridges.