Process for defending objects emitting an infrared radiation, and droppable bodies to carry out the process

Process to defend objects emitting an infrared radiation against missiles, which are equipped with scanning, imaging, correlating or spectral filtering infrared seeker heads, comprising the following process steps to be carried out by the object to be defended:

• a) locating the missile;
• and determining the missile speed, the missile flight direction and the missile momentary distance from the object;
• b) releasing in a short period of time high infrared radiation near the object at least one large area and homogeneous pyrotechnical perturbing radiation cloud, which prevents the reception of the characteristic infrared signature of the object by means of the seeker head and hashes its locking on and pursuit electronics, and subsequently releasing for a comparatively long period a weak, transmission-reducing infrared radiation that simulates background radiation between said object and the missile;
• c) starting immediately after termination of the high radiation phase of the perturbing radiation cloud, but at least still during its weak radiation phase, several successive large area and homogeneous pyrotechnical infrared fake target clouds that resemble the infrared signature of the object are produced, at least the fake target clouds being produced on a partial circle, whose center point is on the object to be defended, and starting from a point in the vicinity of the perturbing radiation cloud, side by side continuously in such a manner that they lead the seeker head and thus the missile step by step substantially diagonally to the approach direction away from the object.