OVERVIEW: Hot Dog is an unguided, 76 mm infrared (IR) decoy flare designed for naval self-protection against heat-seeking missiles. It is fired from deck-mounted mortar launchers and produces high-intensity thermal signatures to divert incoming threats.

DETAILS: Developed by Wegmann & Co in collaboration with Buck Chemisch, the Hot Dog flare is part of a combined decoy system used by German Navy fast attack craft, corvettes, and other surface ships since the mid-1980s. Each Hot Dog round is 76 mm in diameter, weighs approximately 0.74 kg, and contains 0.41 kg of pyrotechnic payload that disperses into seven IR submunitions after launch, typically at ranges of 40 to 160 meters. The system is integrated into 12- or 24-tube launchers capable of automatic or manual operation, and can be coordinated with Silver Dog chaff rounds in mixed salvos to counter both radar- and IR-guided threats.

FUNCTION:
It is launched from a 76 mm deck-mounted mortar system.
Once deployed, it releases seven IR submunitions that create an intense heat signature.
This signature deceives IR-guided missiles into tracking the flare instead of the vessel.

SOURCE:
Forecast International “Hot Dog/Silver Dog” (November 1996): https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_old_pdf.cfm?ARC_ID=700