Russia tests balloon obstructions against Ukrainian drones

Russia has begun testing a system of balloon obstacles designed for physical interception of drones. Russian developers expect to use such structures to protect large industrial and infrastructure facilities from Ukrainian drones.

This was reported by "Militarnyi" with reference to tests shown by the Russian TV channel "Rossiya 1".

The system consists of several tethered balloons, between which a cable structure is stretched. Kevlar threads hanging down are attached to it, forming a kind of aerial obstacle.

According to the developers' concept, when a drone hits such a structure, it should catch the threads with its propeller, lose control, and fall.

During the demonstration, two balloons with a volume of about 150 cubic meters each were raised to approximately 100 meters. A cable obstacle about 100 meters long was placed between them. A fixed-wing drone launched for the test became entangled in it and was stopped.

Russian developers claim that the technology is already ready for serial production. At the same time, according to their estimates, at least ten balloons will be required to cover one large facility.

There is currently no independent assessment of the effectiveness of such a system against various types of modern strike drones. The tests shown by Russian television were conducted under controlled conditions.

Balloon obstacles are not a new technology. Similar systems were widely used during the First and Second World Wars to protect cities and objects from aviation. Cables stretched in the air were intended either to damage an aircraft or to force the pilot to climb higher.

"Militarnyi" notes that in the case of modern drones, the task may be similar: to create dangerous areas for drones at low altitudes and force them to change route or climb higher, where the aircraft are easier to detect by radar and hit by air defense systems.

Russia is intensifying the search for additional ways to protect industrial facilities amid regular long-range attacks by Ukraine. In particular, Russian oil refining enterprises have repeatedly been targeted by Ukrainian drones.

Based on materials from: "Militarnyi", "Fontanka"