Rubber Ducks as a Weapon
Except for those who is well informed over the army and its nicknames for variety of weapons there is probably no one who would not associate rubber duck with a small, cute and flowing duck which is one of the most popular children's toy throughout the world. Besides that weapon is probably the last thing the majority of people have in mind when they hear for a rubber duck or rubber ducky.
However, military likes to use variety of names, nicknames and code-names for weapons which great majority of people associates with everything else than with weapons or armed forces. In the United States military a rubber duck or rubber ducky is a nickname for a fake weapon, usually an M-16 rifle which is used by trainees before they are trained to use the actual rifle. Rubber ducks are either decommissioned M-16 rifles coated with rubber or plastic, or are entirely made of rubber or plastic with the same shape and weight of the actual M-16 rifle.
Besides for M-16 replica, rubber duck in United States military also refers to AN/SLQ-49 Chaff Buoy Decoy System, a system which is widely used by the US Navy, Royal Navy and some NATO countries. The rubber duck consists of two inflatable radar-reflecting buoys which simulate radar return similar to a ship to seduce the eventual anti-ship missiles away from ship's actual radar return.
Unlike other military nicknames and code-names which in actual life would not arose any negative feelings if they would not be used for weapons such as “Little Boy”. Fortunately rubber duck does not refer to any kind of lethal weapon and thus the first thing to think on when hearing for rubber duck for majority of people will still remain cute, floating yellow children's toy.