Russian military receives inflatable tanks to use as decoys
Inflatable tanks and missile systems are being used as a deception technique. The dense fabric does not repel an enemy attack, but it is successful in causing confusion. As the manufacturer states, add a little air, straighten the cannon, and you won’t be able to distinguish it from a real one.
"From a height of about 10 stories, if an inflatable is next to a real weapon, it is difficult to distinguish between the two. Our inflatable machines emit heat. They also reflect radio waves and light is simulated to give the effect of a real weapon,” says Lyudmila Stepanova, a technologist from Rusbal in Khotkovo.
Rusbal produces inflatable T-72 and T-80 tanks, Su-27 and MiG-31 fighters (the exact ones that are now bombing Syria) and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems. Hundreds of inflatable models have already been sent for service to the Russian Army. The enterprise has been an official supplier of pneumatic models of military equipment for the Russian Defense Ministry since 2014. The purchase of the inflatable decoy targets was made under the Russian armament state program, which has been budgeted through 2020.
An inflatable tank costs about $20,000, an S-300 system about $50,000 thousand. However, a real missile system costs $150 million, so the benefit is obvious. The company says it is ready to make a tank or any other military equipment for anyone. In addition to the tanks, the plant manufactures balloons, inflatable costumes and other inflatables.
Models of military equipment have been used for a long time, even during World War II, and they were quite effective in deceiving the enemy. The decoys were successful in drawing fire from the real equipment, however, modern technology has brought the art of enemy deception to new heights.