Joe
Inflatable Russian Weapons
October 11, 2010 12:00 AM
There is an amusing new story on the BBC website today about the Russians using inflatable vehicle–shaped balloons. The article is amusing to me for two reasons. First, the article seems to imply that this is a new idea, failing to mention that the Allies did the exact same thing to try and fool the Germans in World War II. The other thing I find amusing is the article’s claim that these balloons are 100 times cheaper than the real thing. Now, a Russian T-90 tanks costs somewhere over $2 million. According to the math, that makes these balloons $20,000 a piece. It’s a good price for a tank, a bit pricey for a childrens' party accessory.
COMMENTS
Apparently this tech was also used during the First World War... so its nearly a hundred years old. Talk about a slow news day?
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Difference in price today may be in the technology present to fool various sensors. Baloons would fool the naked eye, but without heat and radar reflectivity they'd be very limited in effectiveness
just an old tankers $.02...
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These types of decoy balloons typically have electrical wires running through them to generate a heat signature. Metalized Mylar will yield the right radar reflectivity. So, if this is done right it these decoys are little bit more than a party accessory. That said, $20K a pop still seems a bit pricey. $5K to $10K seems more reasonable, but maybe the graft and corruption factor yields a higher multiplier in Russia.
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