In Decin, a town in the Czech Republic a stone’s throw from Germany, a factory produces tanks, vehicles for transporting weapons and ammunition, as well as airplanes. And since the conflict broke out in Ukraine, the owner boasts of doubling his turnover. Nothing extraordinary, given the huge amount of military supplies sent to Kiev by European countries. Only tanks and jets from this factory do not shoot or fly just because they are reproductions. Life-size inflatables, to be precise.
Inflatech manufactures these, and they have become a vital gimmick for the Ukrainian army in the face of Russian bombardment, writes Le Monde. Yes, because from afar these reproductions are hardly distinguishable from the originals. And it seems that Kiev ordered large quantities of deception of the enemy’s artillery.
The head of the company, Victor Talanov, admits that he has not confirmed the supply to the Ukrainian army, but does not deny them either. “Putin did a good marketing operation for us, we doubled our turnover in 2022,” he told the French newspaper. The company employs about twenty-five people, including several Ukrainian women. It offers about thirty inflatable models that cost an average of 25 thousand euros each. To make it even closer to reality, Inflatech has developed a heating and ventilation system that can deceive thermal radar cameras at night.
“Use scenarios” are different: for example, the company explains, “if you get information about the presence of an enemy artillery system, in five minutes (the time it takes to inflate them, ed.) you can keep your tanks armed and armed”. replace them with our decoys”. The one to be bombed instead of real tanks. To be honest, it’s not a brand new method: during the Second World War, the Allies conducted Operation “Fortitude” at the Normandy landing site to deceive the Nazis, and they also built papier-mâché planes. Kiev, the success of this operation bodes well hopes it is.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
