chaff
3
9.9
- noun
- /tʃæf/
- Specialized
:
señuelo metálico
- The fighter pilots call this chaff, spraying strips of metal into the air to screw up radar.
- decoys and chaff
- release chaff
- flares and chaff
Examples
-
The missile dives into the swarm of descending chaff and detonates, lighting up the evening sky.
Fiction book (1997) -
Believe it or not: Military aircraft, flying through the region is dropping "chaff"!
-
That's why the tiny metal sheets dropped by the thousand to confuse air radar systems are also known as chaff.
Blog text (7) -
Russia is designing the weaponry onboard the MiG-21 BIS to Indian specifications, but the chaff dispensers that the craft carries have been supplied by Israel.
Academic text (1999) -
Military aircraft release chaff to confuse enemy radar systems during combat operations.
-
During their exercise, the pilots dropped chaff to distract incoming missiles from their planes.
-
To protect themselves from detection, the fighter jets deployed chaff into the sky.
Idioms
- Informal
3
6.6
To pick out useful people or things from those that are not
Surface Forms
Etymology
Chaff for the metal strips used against radar was named after the farm chaff because the strips are many small, light pieces that scatter in the air. Just like grain chaff hides and flies away, radar chaff hides the real target by creating a confusing cloud.