The Czech company Inflatech produces more than 30 different inflatable military decoys: from tanks and armored vehicles to aircraft and howitzers. The war in Ukraine caused a demand for weapons, in particular, for inflatable ones.
Compared to the previous year, the business of the Czech company has grown by more than 30%, and its products, according to forecasts, can be in great demand for another 3-5 years.
According to Inflatech CEO Vojtech Fresser, the capacity of his company, located in the city of Decin in the north of the Czech Republic, is up to 50 layouts per month.
How inflatable technology deceives the enemy
The inflatables are designed to deceive enemy forces by tricking them into believing they've spotted an important target through cameras, thermal imagers and radar, and using their own weapons to destroy a “bait” worth an estimated $100,000.
I can imagine that if we want to support a partner country that is in trouble, then we could send them inflatable baits. Or she already has them, and if not, she will definitely get them, – this is how Fresser answered the question whether the company's products are supplied to Ukraine.
Interestingly, among the versions of the “baits” there are American HIMARS systems. Yes, the media suggest that it was precisely such destroyed inflatable dummies that could be presented by Russia as evidence of the “liquidation” of the MLRS in Ukraine.
Inflatable Fake Tank / AP
According to publicly available sources, Russia has already “destroyed” 140% more HIMARS than were delivered to Ukraine. Earlier in the Czech Republic, they already showed on video an inflatable trap, which enemies often confuse with Western military weapons.
In the summer, when the Russians were bragging about how they were destroying HIMARS one by one, foreign journalists said that their target was wooden dummy weapons. According to media reports, so far Ukraine has not lost a single HIMARS installation, which was provided to us by Western partners.
