AI system
- System
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X-Guard fiber-optic towed decoy (Rafael Advanced Defense Systems), described by Indian outlets as 'AI-powered' with 'AI-enhanced algorithms' adjusting its emissions; no read manufacturer or official source describes it
- Model
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Not assessed
- Release
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Not assessed
- Application developer
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Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (Israel); several outlets misname it 'Rafale Advanced Defense Systems' - Role
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Not assessed
- Configuration
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Not assessed
- Inputs and outputs
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Not assessed
- Autonomy
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Not assessed
- Workflow
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A towed decoy on a fiber-optic cable emitting a jamming signal that mimics the aircraft's radar return and Doppler shift (as the outlets describe it). Radar-guided missiles (PL-15E, per the outlets) engaging the decoy rather than the aircraft.
- Human oversight
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Not assessed
- Relation to AI
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No source independent of the commentary chain describes X-Guard as an AI system. idrw writes “AI-enhanced jamming decoy” and “AI-enhanced algorithms dynamically adjust signals” without attribution. ET, India TV, LatestLY, Oneindia and TFIPOST repeat the label. The Week gives no source for “AI-enabled”. Rafael's own page was unreadable. Deployment itself is unconfirmed by the IAF, MoD, Dassault or Rafael. The no-loss outcome is contradicted by the CDS. Neither the system's AI character nor any contribution to the engagements can therefore be assessed.
- AI contribution
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Not assessed
Benefits
- Outcome identifiers
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Not assessed
- Benefit
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Every account traces to ex-USAF pilot Ryan Bodenheimer via idrw.org (6 July 2025). No IAF, MoD, Dassault or Rafael confirmation; CDS Gen Anil Chauhan admitted on 31 May 2025 that India lost jets.
- Category
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Reduced Violence
- Status
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Not assessed
- Beneficiary groups
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People. Organizations.
- Beneficiaries
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Not assessed
- Reach
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Not assessed
- Distribution and access
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Not assessed
- Duration
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Not assessed
- Expected?
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Yes
- Costs and harms
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Not assessed
Measurement
- Studies
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Not assessed
- Study design
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Not assessed
- Measurement
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Not assessed
- Setting and sample
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Not assessed
- Measures
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Not assessed
- Comparison
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Not assessed
- Results
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Not assessed
- Additional value from AI
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Not assessed
- Limitations
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Not assessed
- Denominators
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Not assessed
- Materials for replication
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Not assessed
Money
- Kind of value
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Not assessed
- Amount
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Not assessed
- Currency and prices
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Not assessed
- Period and unit
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Not assessed
- Realization
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Not assessed
- Recipients and payers
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Not assessed
- Gross or net
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Not assessed
- Included costs
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Not assessed
- Comparison
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Not assessed
- Method
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Not assessed
- Return and payback
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Not assessed
People and places
- Participants
-
Developer:
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (Israel); several outlets misname it 'Rafale Advanced Defense Systems'. Operator: Indian Air Force (claimed by commentary; unconfirmed by any official source). - Jurisdictions
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Benefit:
India-
Pakistan border airspace, Operation Sindoor, 7-10 May 2025. Developer: 
Israel. Operator: India. - Ownership and control
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Not assessed
- Dependencies
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Not assessed
- Cross-border connections
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Not assessed
- Geopolitical implications
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Not assessed
Follow-up
- Conditions for replication
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Official confirmation that X-Guard was carried and deployed by the IAF in the 7–10 May 2025 engagements. Evidence that missiles struck decoys rather than aircraft. India TV attributes this to Jane's Defence Weekly, but no other outlet corroborates it. It is at odds with the CDS's admission of losses.
- Replication attempts
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Not assessed
- Later findings
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31 May 2025. India's chief of defence staff admitted on 31 May 2025 that an unspecified number of Indian jets were shot down in the May conflict, which contradicts the outlets' claim that the decoy kept missiles from hitting real aircraft.
- Availability
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Not assessed
- Institutional decision
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Not assessed
- Grounds
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Not assessed
- Action and result
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Not assessed
- Success criterion
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Not assessed
Evidence
- Source numbers
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AIBD-0326-source-0001–0009
- Citations
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Numbered references below.
- Language
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Not assessed
- Source relationships
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Independent
- Original evidence
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Not assessed
- Access and versions
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Not assessed
- Supported findings
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Not assessed
- Evidence links
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Not assessed
- Evidence strength
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Not assessed
- Missing evidence
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Not assessed
Grades
- Assessed benefits
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People. Organizations.
- Depth
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Not assessed
- Reasons
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People: No pilot or aircraft is documented as saved by the decoy. The CDS admitted jet losses. The claim rests on one commentator's inference. Organizations: No official account of the engagements names X-Guard. India's later move to expedite X-Guard deliveries (idrw search listing, 13 July 2025) is procurement news, not an outcome of this operation.
- Observed or intended
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Not assessed
- Rubric
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Not assessed
- Assessor and date
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Not assessed
- Alternative assessments
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Not assessed
- Fill
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Independently reported
Entry details
- Kind
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Not assessed
- Related entries
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Not assessed
- Field
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Defense: electronic warfare. Airborne towed radar decoys.
- Purpose
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A towed decoy is built to present a false target to enemy radars and radar-guided missiles. They then engage the decoy rather than the aircraft. The outlets describe a 30 kg body on a 100 m fiber-optic cable emitting a 500 W jamming signal.
- Dates
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Date basis unassessed: 2025 (precision unassessed). Updated: 21 October 2026.
- Stage
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Not assessed
- Version
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SHA-256: 16fad776b788…
References
- Other identifiers
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oecd_aim: 2025-07-07-7754.
- Category mappings
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Not assessed
- Brief
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Not assessed
- Revisions
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9 revisions. Latest: 21 October 2026.
Sources
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News report Independent author
crediting the Rafale’s X-Guard AI-enhanced jamming decoy system for outsmarting Pakistan’s air defenses
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News report Independent author
The Economic Times (ET Online), 8 July 2025, ''Best deception ever seen': US F-16 pilot reveals how a 30 kg device fooled Pakistan into thinking it downed a Rafale'.
the Indian Air Force (IAF) reportedly used artificial intelligence-powered technology during a four-day military operation with Pakistan in May 2025
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News report Independent author
India TV News (ed. Ankit Kumar), 9 July 2025, 'Operation Sindoor: How India's AI-powered ghost Rafales outfoxed Pakistan | Explained'.
A recent Jane's Defence Weekly investigation has revealed that several Pakistani claims of downing Rafales were based on successful hits on towed decoys, not actual aircraft.
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News report Independent author
it is learned that the Indian Air Force (IAF) allegedly used artificial intelligence-powered technology during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May 2025
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News report Independent author
TFIPOST (Harishanker R P), 9 July 2025, 'Rafale Decoy Confused Pakistan Jets During Operation Sindoor, Claims US Veteran Pilot'.
Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, this smart decoy transformed the battlefield
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News report Independent author
Oneindia, 9 July 2025, 'AI-Powered Decoy System Turns The Tide: How India's Rafale Outsmarted Pakistan's Air Defenses'.
false claims of downed Rafales-many of which may have been decoys
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News report Independent author
General Anil Chauhan, India’s chief of defence staff, has admitted that an unspecified number of its jets were shot down during its conflict with Pakistan last month.
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Other Independent author
Wikipedia, '2025 India–Pakistan conflict', accessed 20 October 2026 (cites Bloomberg, 31 May 2025, 'India Confirms It Lost Fighter Jets in Recent Pakistan Conflict'; the article does not mention X-Guard).
On 31 May 2025, India's Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan admitted that India lost jets, but dismissed Pakistan's claim of downing six fighter jets.
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Registry label Independent author
OECD AI Incidents and Hazards Monitor, record 2025-07-07-7754, 'AI-Powered X-Guard Decoy Alters Outcome of Operation Sindoor' (AI-generated summary).
This technology prevented enemy missiles from hitting real aircraft, enabling successful Indian airstrikes and avoiding loss of personnel and equipment.