Putin plans war-style barrage balloons to ward off Ukrainian drone attacks

Russia plans to build a network of World War I and World War II-style barrage balloons to thwart Ukraine’s daring drone attacks

A Russian aerospace company says it has already begun testing balloons capable of holding a net to provide protection from long-range attacks that have severely damaged energy infrastructure and other key targets deep inside Russia.

The balloons are designed to launch from hangars, rise rapidly in a line and then drop a 250 m high net to form a defensive cordon.

Polina Albek, general director of First Airship, said at a conference in St. Petersburg this week that the balloons had already been tested and her company had received orders.

She said: “Our main activity is the construction of cargo airships, but today we have developed the ‘Barrier’ protection system based on the experience of our ancestors.”

Suspected prototype

Photos of a suspected prototype showed a white balloon with large blue fins on the tail floating over a birch forest and a lake.

According to First Airship, each balloon can float up to 300 m above the ground and has a maximum load capacity of 30 kg, which is enough to support the lightweight net that hangs just above the ground.

The balloons can also be equipped with radar, electronic jammers and video cameras that provide a 360-degree view with a range of up to eleven kilometers.

Ms Albek said: “These capabilities enable significant vertical coverage and create an effective barrier against low-flying drones threatening sensitive areas. The drones cannot see the mesh, it is too thin for them.”

Russian military bloggers called for improved defenses against Ukrainian drones that have struck Russian air bases, oil refineries and even a state-of-the-art radar system designed to provide early warning of a nuclear missile launch.