HIMARS production started in the Czech Republic

Inflatable HIMARS, misleading the enemy on the battlefield, are already being made in the Czech Republic.

Much less damage could be caused by the destruction of HIMARS, a valuable US-made high-mobility rocket artillery system, if a cheap inflatable decoy were to be in its place. These will be produced by the Czech company Inflactech, given the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine.

The company, says its CEO Vojtech Fresser, specializes in the manufacture of inflatable models of military equipment that mislead the enemy. In an interview Reuters and AP, the head of the company said that it is based in the north of the country, in the city of Deqing, and produces more than 30 different inflatable military models – from tanks and armored vehicles to aircraft and howitzers. Production capacity – up to 50 “fakes” per month.

Skillfully crafted inflatables are used effectively on the battlefield, using cameras, thermal imagers, and radar to trick enemies into believing they’ve spotted an important target and use their own expensive weapons to destroy a $100,000 decoy.

Inflactech uses lightweight materials such as rayon to make its products, so the total weight of a fake tank, for example, is only 100 kilograms. Four soldiers are needed to operate the “technique”, and it will take only 10 minutes to deploy and inflate it.

The decision to export inflatable equipment must be approved by the Czech government, the company does not disclose where exactly it is sold. To the question of whether the “trickery” comes to Ukraine, Fresser replied:

“I can imagine that if we want to support a partner country that is in trouble, then we could send it inflatable baits. Or it already has them, and if not, it will certainly receive it.”

He noted that Inflactech’s business grew by 30% last year. This growth is expected to be in double digits for at least another three to five years.

The media suggest that the destroyed inflatable “baits” could be presented by Russia as evidence of the destruction of HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, which since last summer have allowed Ukrainian forces to hit Russian targets at a distance of up to 80 kilometers deep into the front.

According to official figures, the total amount of military equipment that the Czech Armed Forces transferred from their warehouses, as well as exported by Czech arms manufacturers, is more than 54.8 billion crowns, or 2.3 billion euros.

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