Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 365 days have passed. Today, you will most likely read many articles about the previous year. However, we decided to show you another type of Ukrainian weapon.
Hundreds of HIMARS were destroyed in one year, according to Russian statements. Given the actual quantity delivered, this is a somewhat perplexing statement. However, these claims could be true. I.e., is it possible that both the Russian and Ukrainian claims are correct? Yes, such a possibility exists.
The success of the Allies during WWII and the Normandy landings was due to two factors: the Allied soldiers’ sacrifice and courage, and the Nazis’ delusion. Historical evidence indicates that the Nazis were aware of the landing. But they had no idea where it would take place.
The Allies took advantage of this by using a double spy to confuse Hitler’s army. The co-owners set up rubber baits kilometres away from the real redfish. Hundreds of military jeeps, armoured vehicles, tanks, and planes are on the ground. They are all inflatable decoys. “On the hook” are the Nazis.
Inflatable decoys are another critical type of weapon for Ukraine. They allow real weapon systems to be concealed. We can say that they are successful. Because if Russia claims that 40 HIMARS were destroyed in a single year, but in reality, Ukraine received 20 units, then there are successful decoys.
The Czech Republic is very active in providing military assistance to Ukraine. The Czechs, on the other hand, provide the “stun guns” that confuse the Russian attackers.
In the city of Decin, there is a factory that manufactures inflatable lures. A brief television report by a local news outlet reveals interesting details about the Ukrainian production and war. HIMARS rubber decoys are manufactured by a company in Decin.
According to Vojtech Fresser, the company can produce up to 35 inflatable HIMARS per month. He did not specify how much of his output was shipped to Ukraine. It’s classified military information.
“We can estimate this based on publicly available sources that recently claimed, for example, that Russians destroyed 140% more HIMARS than were delivered to Ukraine. So, it’s easy to imagine that the 40% will probably be some kind of decoys, and if the decoys were so successful, they were definitely from Decin. From us,” said Fresser.
Inflatable decoys are a “important weapon” and a Ukrainian countermeasure. They are not permitted to destroy Russian equipment or positions. However, they have the potential to reduce the availability of Russian missiles. It is also less expensive to engage a Russian rocket with an inflatable decoy.
Fresser does not specify the price of a single HIMARS inflatable lure. But consider another example.
“A Javelin costs around $80,000 [the cheapest version]. That’s four times more expensive than our decoy,” says the Czech.
