Russia Tests Balloons Equipped with Cables to Defend Against Drones

Russia has begun testing balloon barriers against Ukrainian drones.

The tests were shown by the Rossiya 1 TV channel in the VESTI program.

The system consists of balloons with a cable stretched between them, to which Kevlar threads are attached, hanging down.

The idea is that a drone that gets caught in this net will wrap the threads around its propeller and lose control.

According to the designers, the technology is already ready for mass production.

However, protecting a single large facility will require launching at least 10 such balloons into the sky.

Similar balloons were used during World War I and, especially extensively, during World War II to counter enemy aircraft. They forced bombers to fly at higher altitudes, which reduced the accuracy of their strikes.

Presumably, in the case of modern aerostats, the objective will be similar — by posing the threat of collision with cables, to force Ukrainian drones in certain areas to fly at higher altitudes, thereby making it easier for radar to detect them and for air defense systems to engage them.

Earlier, a Russian chemical company announced a tender to purchase airships to protect its facilities from attacks by Ukrainian drones.

Use of airships in warfare

In addition to deploying cables against drones, airships are also used for other purposes in modern warfare. In particular, the Russian state-owned holding company Rostec has developed an airship to ensure stable communications.

Unlike mobile base stations, lifting a radio module into the air minimizes the impact of terrain on signal quality. In Ukraine, balloons are viewed as platforms for launching drones and missiles against the enemy.

Missiles can be launched from stratospheric balloons at altitudes ranging from 12 to 18 kilometers.