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Low-Cost Way to Scare Neighbor Countries: Inflatable Weapons

gizmodo.com — Are you the dictator of a country that's desperate to seem powerful to its neighbors, but not quite rich enough to afford the armaments it wants? Take a page from the Fortitude South and buy these inflatable versions of scary military equipment!

Who dugg this? Made popular Sep 11, 2008

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113 Comments

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  • NovaCloud, on 09/11/2008, -7/+157In Soviet Russia, YOU blow the weapons up!
  • inactive, on 09/11/2008, -1/+70It's like the Scarecrow of National Defense.
  • kyleforeman, on 09/11/2008, -3/+55Vladamir, start blowing. Our turret has gone limp.
  • DubBucket, on 09/11/2008, -2/+49Iran already proved all you need is photoshop...
  • neocr0n, on 09/11/2008, -2/+44I think the British did something similar during WWII with wooden planes and fake air force bases in the south. All to keep the German bombs away from the real bases.
  • DaviDTC, on 09/11/2008, -4/+43Those would give Bush enough reasons to invade.
  • CIAVT, on 09/11/2008, -2/+38In times of peace your inflatable fort can double as a bouncy castle!
  • thesparrowband, on 09/12/2008, -2/+36possibly the most clever use of that meme ever
  • inactive, on 09/11/2008, -3/+26The USA and allies did this early in the Normandy invasion to intimidate the nazis. They had inflatable tanks and artillery, and fake camps set up, to make up for their, at the time, lacking military strength... it's like what Hannibal did to Rome, when he lit more fires than necessary to make the Romans think there were a ton of soldiers there. It actually works! Well, if they don't look as obviously faked as these do.
  • regicide, on 09/11/2008, -3/+22Didn't the U.S. use this tactic a few days before D-Day?
  • ChronicColonic, on 09/11/2008, -2/+20Weapons that blow up without hurting anyone? You could stand right next to them when they blow up and not get hurt? Wow.
  • merreborn, on 09/11/2008, -0/+14http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dummy_tank


  • DeFex, on 09/12/2008, -0/+13some diggers use a similar device to make the neighbors think they have a girlfriend.
  • RATM4EVER, on 09/11/2008, -0/+10Operation Quicksilver:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Quicksilver ...

    Operation Bodyguard:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bodyguard
  • ccb621, on 09/11/2008, -2/+12In Soviet Russia joke insert you.

    With apologies,
    CB
  • MadEnvoy, on 09/11/2008, -1/+10Iraq and the U.S. did this during the first Gulf war. This type of deception dates way, way back.

    http://www.psywarrior.com/DeceptionH.html
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/oral/ ...
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Fortitude
  • inactive, on 09/12/2008, -0/+8That would confuse the hell out of spy satellites when they see playful children bouncing on top of tanks or missile launchers.
  • CATSCEO2, on 09/12/2008, -1/+9http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Low_Cost_Way_to_Scare_Ne ...
  • theotheragentm, on 09/11/2008, -1/+9Also, in times of peace, you have tons of moon bounces.
  • DiggzDE, on 09/11/2008, -0/+8*Goes to play COD4*

    WOOT!!!!
  • bsl4doc, on 09/11/2008, -2/+10Wow, inflatable weapons and tanks were great when we used them back in the 1940s...hardly a new idea. Look up Operation Fortitude.
  • tradderjohn, on 09/11/2008, -3/+10theres probally 40 analysts looking at the photo's now. we've found the WMD
    weapons of mass delusion
  • ChayD, on 09/11/2008, -0/+6Man, I sooo want one of those inflatable ICBM launchers
  • urgeigh, on 09/12/2008, -0/+6Yeah, I bought some inflatable clean dishes and a stove.
  • leha, on 09/11/2008, -0/+6An inflatable tank cost a few hundred dollars, a rocket used to blow it up cost a few hundred thousand. On top of this by making your enemy use ammunition on balloons forces him to send planes back to an airport to refill thus removing them from conflict area.
  • spritom, on 09/11/2008, -1/+7Now my kids are going to want to go out in the yard and jump on the bouncy ICBM site.
  • thegrantman, on 09/11/2008, -1/+7These weapons blow.
  • jirnik, on 09/11/2008, -4/+9I read this as Lost Cow to Scare Neighbors. I need to go to sleep.
  • jttennisplaya81, on 09/11/2008, -1/+6I don't think that would scare too many countries, maybe just piss them off enough to come and fight you....and then laugh as you get your ass kicked because all you have are inflatable weapons...
  • Apocolypse007, on 09/12/2008, -0/+5Am I the only one that comment sounded gay to?
  • vondrak, on 09/11/2008, -1/+6Why not, they tricked the Germans before D-Day
  • torchednoodle, on 09/11/2008, -0/+4$100 bucks says this silly crap wouldn't fool American defense satellite analysts. The problem of course would be when they send this up to the Bush administration along with their recommendation that these are just balloons, and Dick Cheney declares the analysts don't know what they're talking about and tells the president we should go to war.

    It's not like it hasn't happened before
  • recruz, on 09/11/2008, -1/+5wasn't everything on digg a few days ago?
  • TeraRealm256, on 09/12/2008, -0/+4I wonder how quick some Homeland Security agent would be at my doorstep if I put an inflatable tank in my backyard...hmm...the april fools day opportunities!!!
  • RipleyIsDead, on 09/12/2008, -0/+4Yes, but radar doesn't reflect off of *stealth tanks*.
  • yojiffyskippy, on 09/12/2008, -0/+4I use a similar blow-up prop (okay it's a doll) to drive in the HOV lane..... at least that's what I tell my wife it's for.
  • Zipko, on 09/12/2008, -0/+4I just watched a lot of movies. If Patton really acted the way they depicted in in the movie then he could kick Chuck Norris' ass and make him lick the grease off his treads.
  • JeffLongoria, on 09/12/2008, -3/+6I SWEAR that was the best and most clever use of that meme ever. I wish I could give u 500 diggs, LoL
  • praisethelard, on 09/12/2008, -0/+3Well, it worked during WWII.
  • SiXiam, on 09/12/2008, -0/+3He's half-asleep, you ***** moron...
  • Jeepinator, on 09/11/2008, -1/+4I believe there was an entire fake division that the Germans were fed information about. To extend the fake until the last minute they flew planes across the channel back and forth scattering foil strips. It made the German radar operators believe that there was an invasion force approaching from the location of the "known" division at about 8 knots.
  • inactive, on 09/12/2008, -0/+3Well played.
  • jhandfield, on 09/11/2008, -1/+4"...in plane sight..."

    Ouch.

    Keep up the good work.
  • Unzorn, on 09/12/2008, -1/+4In Soviet Russia, balloons blow up you!
  • 13B1303, on 09/12/2008, -0/+3hmm hide real weapons in obviously fake weapons...
  • sovietninja, on 09/11/2008, -1/+4Soviet Union only do this to draw attention away from massive incoming Mammoth Tank battalion secretly hidden in ANWR.
  • urbandistrict, on 09/12/2008, -1/+4EVERYONE OUT OF THE POOL!!! TAAANKS!!!
  • digg-dugg, on 09/12/2008, -0/+3dude, these would go great in my pool.
  • theOster, on 09/12/2008, -1/+4nah - the way he did it was subtle. it's better that way.
  • hd95, on 09/12/2008, -1/+4i wonder if you can get inside one and jump around
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