Aerobavovna Develops Aerostat Capable of Lifting 30 kg Payloads

Ukrainian company Aerobavovna has developed a new type of tethered aerostat for high-altitude deployment of advanced electronic warfare and intelligence systems.

The announcement was made in a interview by the Militarnyi with Aerobavovna engineers.

Since 2023, Aerobavovna has been supplying the Ukrainian Defense Forces with a basic model capable of lifting up to 6 kilograms.

These systems are mainly used for extending radio communications and controlling drones at long distances.

However, the increasing demand for heavier and more power-intensive payloads led to the development of a larger aerostat. The new model can lift up to 25–30 kilograms and is equipped with a power system that allows continuous operation of onboard electronics at altitude for several days.

Deployment time is longer: the smaller version can be launched pre-filled in 7 minutes, while the larger aerostat requires at least 30 minutes and a team of operators.

“These means are for working over longer distances and with more powerful equipment that need power. These are EW systems, signals intelligence systems, very powerful repeaters for long distances” said Yurii Vysoven, co-founder of Aerobavovna.

Vysoven credited the Militarnyi community with financing one of the new aerostats for Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces. He said that field deployment had played a significant role in product development and broader adoption across the Defense Forces.

Currently, these aerostats are primarily used as radio relays, which remain a critical battlefield application.

“A lot of drones in the West are used to raise radar, which is not suitable in our case, or cameras, which is also not very relevant on our front line. But this war has shown how many drones are used in modern wars, and most of them require repeaters in one way or another. That’s why, apart from communication repeaters for radios, the biggest case is actually the use of repeaters fro drones. For drones that move, that fly, that need to communicate at low altitude” says the company’s co-founder.

He added that multicopters are sometimes used for the same function but are constrained by short flight times. Aerostats, in contrast, can maintain connections for hours, making them nearly irreplaceable for ground robotic platforms.

Aerobavovna is also working on aerostat-mounted interceptor drones, intended to shoot down Shahed-type loitering munitions.

The company collaborates with other Ukrainian manufacturers to integrate their devices into its aerostat platforms.

“Of course, we have many elements. With some, integration is a matter of simple connection and placement, with others it is a more complex process and requires a lot of refinement. In general, we continue to develop as a platform and integrate with various manufacturers,” said Vysoven.

He noted that most losses were not due to enemy action but rather friendly fire or weather. Icing is a common issue in winter; high winds pose challenges in summer.

A small aerostat costs around $1,000, and even when damaged, the descent is gradual, which typically preserves the payload.

Currently, Aerobavovna systems are in service with the Special Operations Forces, Defence Intelligence, and the Security Service of Ukraine. Centralized procurement remains a challenge, and brigade-level units are often responsible for direct purchases. As of now, up to 50 aerostats from Aerobavovna are reportedly in operation along the front line.