Direct proof of use
The M-206 infrared decoy flare was documented in Operation Iraqi Freedom through official U.S. Army and Air Force sources. Army AL&T described the M206 as one of the countermeasure flares used with the Common Missile Warning System, which was being fielded for U.S. helicopters in the OIF theater.
The Air Force FY2008 Global War on Terror budget justification separately listed the M206 flare line item as replenishment for war reserve materiel expended in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and identified the flare as an infrared countermeasure used by A-10, F-16, C-17, and AC-130 aircraft.
Sources: Army AL&T Countermeasure Flares Team, FY2008 Air Force GWOT M206 Flares
Timeline
In November 2005, the Army sharply increased monthly requirements for M211, M212, and M206 countermeasure flares after accelerated CMWS fielding created a theater demand for aircraft self-protection munitions. Army AL&T tied that demand to Operation Iraqi Freedom and described shipments routed to Kuwait or Iraq until theater inventories could support monthly requirements.
By the FY2008 Air Force budget cycle, the M206 appeared as a replenishment item for war reserve materiel expended in OIF and OEF. The same budget entry described the M206 as a flare for aircraft protection against heat-seeking missiles.
Sources: Army AL&T Countermeasure Flares Team, FY2008 Air Force GWOT M206 Flares
Narrative
In Iraq, the M-206 was not an offensive munition; it was part of the aircraft defensive-aids chain used to protect U.S. and coalition aircraft from infrared-guided missile threats. Armtec describes the M206 as a one-inch infrared decoy flare compatible with standard U.S. and NATO dispensing systems, while Army AL&T describes CMWS as dispensing an M206, M211, and M212 mix during missile-warning engagements.
The documented users were U.S. forces and coalition aircraft operating in the U.S.-led campaign. Army AL&T connected the flare program to Army, U.S. Special Operations Command, and U.S. Air Force requirements, and its OIF captions and logistics account place the flares in combat-mission and theater-resupply contexts.
Sources: M206 Infrared Decoy Flare | Armtec Defense Technologies, Army AL&T Countermeasure Flares Team, FY2008 Air Force GWOT M206 Flares
