Birdie for the Bundeswehr: Rheinmetall awarded €50 million order for infrared decoys

Birdie is an acronym standing for “Bispectral Infrared Decoy Improved Efficiency”. Marketed by Rheinmetall Waffe & Munition GmbH of Fronau, these infrared decoys, or ‘flares’, are ejected from helicopters, transport planes and jets to distract oncoming infrared-homing guided missiles. The flares simulate the heat signature of exhaust gases emitted by the aircraft engine.

The current contract specifies delivery of two different Birdie products: IR-Birdie 118 BS and IR-Birdie 218 BS. Both are already in service with the Bundeswehr, which refers to them as “Decoy, Aircraft, DM189A1, PT” and “Decoy, Aircraft, DM169A1, PT”, respectively.

Owing to the current security situation, aircraft self-defence has come sharply back into focus again. Decoys are one way of accomplishing this. Among other things, these include pyrotechnic flares, i.e., products designed to distract infrared search head-equipped surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and air-to-air missiles (AAM). Other techniques include chaff for thwarting enemy radar, and smoke-obscurant munitions such as Rheinmetall’s fast-acting ROSY smoke screen.