Russia is piling tires on top of its prized bombers, images show — a possible crude attempt to trick Ukraine's missiles

• Black coverings resembling tires have appeared on planes at a Russian air base.
• It may be an attempt to confuse Ukraine's newly-adapted R-360 Neptune cruise missiles.

Satellite images of a key Russian air base appear to show a new defensive tactic amid ongoing airborne attacks: piling tires on top of airplanes.

Several observers have spotted unusual, dark patches partially covering military aircraft at Engels air base near Saratov, Russia, in the last days.

An analysis by motoring-focused outlet The Drive concluded they are car tires arranged in a gambit designed to confuse incoming missiles. The tires were seen partially covering the fuselages and some of the wings on Tu-95 bombers and Tu-160 heavy bombers, the outlet reported.

It's unclear if the measure will work, but it coincides with Ukraine's announcement that it has modified its R-360 Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles to strike targets on land. Ukraine claimed that it has already taken out a Russian S-400 "Triumf" missile in Crimea.

Per the Drive, the tire covering could be intended to break up the planes' infrared signature, which is used by cruise missiles to recognize targets.

The tire phenomenon was spotted after a wave attacks on air bases — largely attributed to drones rather than cruise missiles — that have exposed embarrassing weaknesses in the country's air defenses.

The UK's Ministry of Defense assessed that Russia was likely to be considering a wholesale reorganization of its air defenses — and potentially deploying new measures around its air bases — in response to the drone threat.

Ukraine has largely not taken responsibility for the attacks, but has made extensive use of drone warfare during Russia's invasion, and has made public statements justifying the use of force on military targets in Russia in general.