The Russian military has a cunning plan to deceive their enemies and save money at the same time: inflatable weapons! I wasn't aware that Russia had enemies to intimidate anymore. Let's hope they're not up against a nation of straight pins.
Looking just like real ones, the inflatable arms are both easy to transport and quick to deploy. The decoys are a hundred times cheaper than the real thing, which means Moscow will save a lot of money...that they ought to spend on at least a few real ones. Fitting into a black duffel bag, the large sheet looks like a tent, but when attached to a pump, the plastic begins to rise and take shape. A demonstration shows how two men can "make" a Russian tank. A second balloon expands into a S-300 rocket launcher, complete with giant truck and inflatable rockets. Eventually, they will blow up MiG fighter jets and an entire Russian radar station.
The inflatables are stitched together at a former hot-air balloon factory. These state-of-the-art stand-ins are among the most advanced military decoys in the world, and much lighter and manageable than the rubber versions used in World War II - though terrible in an actual firefight. Their main asset are that they are made of a special material that tricks enemy radar and thermal imaging into thinking they are real weapons. "I'm proud to be making entire rocket-launchers and tanks for our armed forces," says a female worker who is stitching a surface-to-air missile system. "When you finish sewing them and you watch them being filled with air, it's so satisfying." She did not comment though if the balloon arms made her feel any safer.
Looking just like real ones, the inflatable arms are both easy to transport and quick to deploy. The decoys are a hundred times cheaper than the real thing, which means Moscow will save a lot of money...that they ought to spend on at least a few real ones. Fitting into a black duffel bag, the large sheet looks like a tent, but when attached to a pump, the plastic begins to rise and take shape. A demonstration shows how two men can "make" a Russian tank. A second balloon expands into a S-300 rocket launcher, complete with giant truck and inflatable rockets. Eventually, they will blow up MiG fighter jets and an entire Russian radar station.
The inflatables are stitched together at a former hot-air balloon factory. These state-of-the-art stand-ins are among the most advanced military decoys in the world, and much lighter and manageable than the rubber versions used in World War II - though terrible in an actual firefight. Their main asset are that they are made of a special material that tricks enemy radar and thermal imaging into thinking they are real weapons. "I'm proud to be making entire rocket-launchers and tanks for our armed forces," says a female worker who is stitching a surface-to-air missile system. "When you finish sewing them and you watch them being filled with air, it's so satisfying." She did not comment though if the balloon arms made her feel any safer.
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