F-3, a new “Soft Countermeasure” system from the Ukraine Company Magnit Ltd, was displayed at Defexpo 06 for the first time. This passive system is activated by laser rangefinder pulses received when the protected target is illuminated by an enemy laser, prior to firing. When a pulse is detected, F-3 emits a false echo, disrupting the range measurement, and causing the enemy to overshoot to the falsely extended range. The false laser signal is emitted at a wavelength of 1.06 micron, causing an error of +/- 400 meters (this error rate can be changed at the factory). F-3 is designed to defeat both direct fire and semi-automatic beam-riding missiles. F-3 performs equally well against amplitude-time selection based Fire Control Systems (FCS), used in modern Russian tanks (&T-80, 84, 90), which cannot determine the actual range to the target, and against time selection based FCS, used in most western tanks (Abrams, Leclerc, Leopard) which cannot read exact range and consequently, hit probability is reduced and shot preparation time is increased by 15-20 seconds. According to the manufacturer, F-3 is being fielded by the Ukrainian Armed forces.
