Ukraine has unveiled a novel weapon in its arsenal: long-range balloons equipped with mortar bombs. These balloons, controlled by sophisticated electronics and guided by GPS, pose unique challenges for Russia’s air defenses.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has reported shooting down numerous Ukrainian balloons, some carrying radar reflectors and others armed with mortar bombs. Experts believe that these balloons are more advanced than previous models and have a range of hundreds of kilometers.
The Ukrainian balloon bombs are fitted with Bluetooth modules that trigger the release of munitions when the balloon passes over a predetermined target area. They also have GPS trackers that allow Ukraine to monitor their progress and map areas where GPS is being jammed or spoofed.
While the accuracy of these balloon bombs is limited, their low cost and ease of deployment make them a potentially effective weapon for Ukraine. They force Russia to divert resources to counter them and could be used to disrupt key infrastructure or airbases.