Ukraine is experimenting with kamikaze drones airborne by balloons to counter enemy long-range UAV threats.
Ukraine is developing a new defensive approach based on kamikaze drones launched from tethered balloons to intercept long-range attack drones. The system is based on an aerostat equipped with infrared sensors and drone launchers. The aim is to reduce the pressure on conventional anti-aircraft systems, while reducing interception costs. This initiative is part of a growing trend to use balloons as surveillance and defense platforms in the face of increasingly frequent and dispersed threats. It could also be integrated into other Ukrainian systems such as low-cost acoustic sensor networks.
Tethered balloons: technical interception platform in conflict zones
The use of tethered balloons as a launch platform for kamikaze intercept drones represents a pragmatic innovation in the Ukrainian theater. Unlike free high-altitude balloons, these aerostats are anchored to the ground by a cable, allowing them to remain stable while rising to several hundred meters in altitude. This elevation provides increased visibility on the horizon, which optimizes the detection range of the on-board sensors.
The first images show a fixed-wing drone docked to a launch system located under the aerostat. The main sensor appears to be an infrared camera, designed to identify long-range attack drones (often Iranian Shahed-136s, used by Russia) well before they approach the areas to be defended.
These enemy drones generally fly at altitudes of between 100 and 300 meters, at an average speed of 150 to 200 km/h. Detecting them from a distance via an elevated platform makes it possible to anticipate trajectories and prepare a response by an interceptor drone. The advantage here is the combination of observation height, speed of reaction and low unit cost.
According to several estimates, the cost of launching an interceptor drone from a balloon could be less than €20,000, compared to nearly €100,000 to €250,000 for a conventional NASAMS or IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft missile launch.
A response to the limitations of traditional anti-aircraft systems
This technology is an attempt to respond to the gradual saturation of Western defense systems deployed in Ukraine. Each hostile kamikaze drone that forces an anti-aircraft missile shot costs disproportionate resources. However, since the end of 2023, the flow of Western military aid – particularly American – has become uncertain, forcing Ukraine to develop more economical local solutions.
The aerostat can be integrated into a multi-layered defense strategy, where missiles are reserved for critical targets, while interceptor drones take care of the numerous, less threatening UAVs. This rationalization aims to preserve costly strategic stocks, while maintaining active protection.
Interceptor drones can also be programmed for autonomous missions, with artificial intelligence-assisted tracking algorithms. This would reduce human reaction times and improve efficiency in the interception of grouped drones.
In a conflict marked by an intensification of drone air strikes, these light but mobile systems make it possible to cover large rural or industrial areas at a lower cost. A mobile unit with a balloon and interceptor drones can be set up in less than an hour and moved quickly.
Technical data and comparison with other airborne systems
The Ukrainian initiative is part of an international trend towards the return of light airborne platforms, which have long been marginalized. The American JLENS (Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System) project, canceled in 2017 after technical incidents, already aimed to raise surveillance radars above 3,000 meters. Its cost was estimated at 2.7 billion dollars for two units, compared to a few hundred thousand euros for a Ukrainian balloon with IR sensor and an interceptor drone.
Poland is also deploying an airborne radar system on balloons (ARSS) in the Suwałki corridor to anticipate low-altitude air threats. Canada and the United States are continuing their tests on high-altitude balloons for the recognition of electromagnetic signals (SIGINT).
The tethered balloons used in Ukraine are generally between 15 and 25 meters long, with a volume of 60 to 90 m³ of helium, providing sufficient lift for a 4 to 8 kg drone and a 2 to 4 kg sensor payload. Their detection range, depending on altitude, can reach 30 to 40 km in direct visibility.
Maintenance is simple: a balloon envelope costs around €5,000 to €10,000 and can be replaced in a few hours. The system’s autonomy depends on the weather, but hovering times of more than 48 hours are technically possible.
Strategic issues and consequences for the conduct of the conflict
The rise of these systems reflects Ukraine’s desire to adapt its defensive system to the logic of technological attrition. In an asymmetric conflict, where the enemy’s proliferation of cheap drones depletes high-end stocks, the response can no longer be solely technological, but also economic and tactical.
The widespread use of these aerostats could lead to a reinforced territorial network, particularly around critical infrastructure: energy depots, thermal power stations, railway junctions or logistics bases. In the long term, these systems could integrate hybrid multisensory networks, combining acoustic, thermal, radar and optical sensors, as already proposed by the company Kvertus in Ukraine.
Indirectly, this development is also pushing Russia to adapt its attacks: either by increasing the speed of Shahed drones or by modifying their trajectories to avoid marked detection zones. This dynamic of counter-adaptation is typical of medium-intensity conflicts.
Finally, these systems raise broader questions about low-cost defense, in a context where even European countries are seeking to reduce their dependence on imported strategic systems. Ukraine is acting as a tactical laboratory, and its experiments could inspire other armies seeking to respond to overwhelming threats at low cost.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.