Satellite images of Russian fighter jets at an airbase reveal an unusual tactic: car tires are placed on the wings. According to a report by CNN, this could be an attempt to protect against attacks by Ukrainian drones. “We believe that it should protect the aircraft against drone attacks,” said a NATO official. “But we don’t know if this will have an effect.”

Tires as radar camouflage? Experts are skeptical

Some experts also suggest the tires could help make the planes more difficult to detect by radar, particularly on night-time missions. However, Francisco Serra-Martins of One Way Aerospace, a company that supplies drones to the Ukrainian army, believes this approach could offer limited protection. “It can reduce the heat signature for exposed strategic aerospace facilities on the apron of airports, but they’re still picked up by infrared cameras,” Serra-Martins told CNN.