- Title: Czech company sees boom in market for inflatable dummy tanks, HIMARS
- Date: 7th March 2023
- Summary: DECIN, CZECH REPUBLIC (MARCH 6, 2023) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF INFLATECH DECOYS EMPLOYEES UNFOLDING INFLATABLE TANK DECOY EMPLOYEE HOLDING CANVAS AS INFLATABLE TANK IS BEING INFLATED EMPLOYEE CHECKING INFLATED TANK DECOY INFLATED TANK DECOY (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) INFLATECH DECOYS CHIEF EXECUTIVE, VOJTECH FRESSER, SAYING: "I can imagine that if we want to support a partner country
- Embargoed: 21st March 2023 11:18
- Keywords: Czech Republic HIMARS Russia TANKS Ukraine inflatable decoys war in Ukraine
- Location: DECIN, CZECH REPUBLIC
- City: DECIN, CZECH REPUBLIC
- Country: Czech Republic
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Europe
- Reuters ID: LVA001536007032023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: With western-made tanks and artillery systems emerging as key equipment in the war in Ukraine, one Czech company is noticing a boom in demand in demand for inflatable decoys.
Inflactech Decoys, a Czech maker of fake army equipment, has added the HIMARS artillery system to its fleet of over 30 types of inflatable life-size decoys it sells to customers worldwide, Chief Executive Vojtech Fresser said on Monday (March 6).
Inflatech would not confirm Ukraine is among the destinations, but Fresser said he would expect them to find their way there.
"I can imagine that if we want to support a partner country that is in trouble, we will send them Inflatech inflatable decoys and they are already there or certainly will be," he said.
The Czech Defence Ministry, which helps organise Czech military supplies to Ukraine, was not immediately available for comment.
The decoys are made out of synthetic silk and, apart from misleading the enemy visually, have a thermal footprint and appear on radars to fool enemy reconnaissance.
They pack into sacks that two to four soldiers can carry, and can be inflated within 10 minutes.
The HIMARS inflatable top, without the heat generator and compressor equipment, weighs 43 kg, Fresser told reporters at the company's factory in the northern Czech city of Decin.
The decoys cost from $10,000 to $100,000.
"If you lead the enemy to destroy my piece of equipment by something that is four, or maybe 20 times more expensive, then you are winning economically," Fresser said.
Inflatech has seen its business boom over the past year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, raising production to dozens of decoys per month, and sees big growth this year - in tens and maybe over 100%, Fresser said.
(Production Eva Kornikova, Jan Lopatka, Hedy Beloucif) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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