Chaff (countermeasure) facts for kids
In the military, chaff are small thin pieces of metal which are shot out of an airplane or warship. These thin strips of metal make it harder for enemy radar to detect where the plane or ship is. The thin strips of metal also make it harder for radar-guided missiles to hit the plane or warship. The chaff tricks the enemy and helps to keep the plane or warship safe.
Images for kids
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A Lancaster dropping chaff (the crescent-shaped white cloud on the left of the picture) over Essen during a thousand-bomber raid
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Two forms of RAF "Window" radar countermeasure: chopped aluminium wire and paper backed with aluminium foil
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The effect of chaff on the display of a Würzburg Riese radar. The effect of jamming appears in the left "jagged" half of the circular ring, contrasting with the normal "smooth" (unjammed) display on the right half of the circle, with a real target at the 3 o'clock position – on the jammed left side the real target "blip" would have been indistinguishable from the jamming.
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Letter from Secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal to Merwyn Bly
See also
In Spanish: Chaff para niños
