How a 30-kg, AI-powered, X-Guard system fooled Pakistani army into thinking they were hitting a Rafale
Months have passed since India conducted Operation Sindoor to attack Pakistani terror and military establishments, yet stories of the tactics and ingenuity of the Indian Armed Forces continue to intrigue the world. It has now been reported that the Indian Air Force used the artificial intelligence-powered towed decoy system X-Guard on Indian Rafales during the four-day military conflict in May 2025.
A former F-16 pilot Ryan Bodenheimer, called Operation Sindoor, a breakthrough in modern aerial combat. Developed by Rafale Advanced Defense Systems, X-Guard creates a 500-watt, 360-degree jamming signal using artificial intelligence. The 30-kilogram device follows the aircraft along a fibre-optic wire that is 100 meters long. It makes it harder for adversary radar systems and missiles to spot genuine aircraft by simulating the radar emissions and Doppler effect of an authentic Rafale fighter.
Bodenheimer dubbed the X-Guard “the best spoofing and deception we’ve ever seen.” The former F-16 pilot added that the decoy system may have “redefined the rules of electronic warfare.”
As per the IDRW report, Pakistan’s Chinese-made PL-15E air-to-air missiles and J-10C fighter jets failed to detect or target the actual Indian fighter jets. The decoy misled missile systems and confounded enemy radar. An export variant of China’s PL-15, the PL-15E missile, lacked sophisticated spoofing resistance. It’s also possible that the X-Guard tricked Pakistan’s J-10C fighters’ KLJ-7A AESA radar into believing they had locked onto and struck Rafale jets.
Apparently, Pakistani ‘Aand’ Forces counted the decoys they struck as Rafale hits and came up with claims of shooting down 4 to 5 Indian fighter jets. However, when asked for proof, even their defence minister would say “It’s all over the social media.”
Other than X-Guard, the Indian decoy drones also played a vital role, especially in creating heat signatures that matched Indian fighter jets, confusing the Pakistani air defence system.
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