Ukraine has developed an innovative new system that uses balloons to help find and target enemy drone operators, rather than just the drones themselves. This could give Ukraine a big advantage in the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The system is called Aero Azimuth, and it was created by a Ukrainian company called Kvertus. It was recently shown at an exhibition focused on technology to stop drones. Aero Azimuth works by detecting the radio signals that drone operators send out to control their drones. Once these signals are detected, Ukrainian troops can pinpoint the operator’s location and potentially take them out. This approach is more effective than just shooting down individual drones because it can stop entire waves of drones by taking out the people controlling them.
Aero Azimuth isn’t completely new. It already existed as a ground-based system. But this time, Ukraine has taken it to the skies by attaching it to a special type of balloon, known as an aerostat, made by another Ukrainian company called Aerobavovna. This allows the system to cover a much larger area than before. On the ground, Aero Azimuth can detect drone operators from about nine miles away. But when attached to the balloon and floating high in the sky, its range extends to an impressive 37 miles. It can even track and locate the drone operators from around 15 to 19 miles away, depending on how high the balloon is flying.
The balloon itself is filled with helium, allowing it to stay in the air for up to seven days. It can carry up to 55 pounds of equipment, which is more than enough for the Aero Azimuth system. The balloon can handle strong wind gusts, making it difficult to shoot down or detect by enemy radar. Its passive technology doesn’t emit signals that could give away its location, making it even harder for the Russians to find and destroy it.
However, there is a potential downside. The very drones that the Aero Azimuth system is designed to counter might also be able to attack it. Russian drones could potentially fly high enough to strike the balloon if they locate it. But as long as the balloon stays out of sight, it offers Ukraine a big advantage, providing constant surveillance over a wide area at a relatively low cost.
In fact, the balloon system is even more powerful when used as part of a network. Multiple balloons and ground-based systems working together could create a protective net, with sensors that cover an even wider area. If one sensor is destroyed, the others can continue operating, making the whole system more resilient.
For Ukraine, this technology is incredibly valuable. They are facing a huge number of Russian drones, many of which are operated using first-person view (FPV) cameras. These drones have become a major problem on the battlefield. But with Aero Azimuth, Ukrainian forces can detect the operators behind these drones and stop them before they can do more damage.
Ukraine has been exploring all kinds of new technologies to deal with the threat from drones. The Aero Azimuth system is part of that effort, offering a smart and effective solution that targets the source of the problem: the people controlling the drones. If the system is fully deployed, it could force Russian drone operators to change their tactics. For instance, they might have to move further away from the battlefield, which would make their drones less effective. They might also need to rely on airborne relays, which could create new challenges for them.
While it’s not clear if Ukraine has started using Aero Azimuth in the field yet, this technology seems ready for action. It’s just one of many new tools Ukraine is using to gain the upper hand in the war against Russia. And by bringing back balloon-based technology, Ukraine is showing that sometimes, old ideas can be turned into cutting-edge solutions on the modern battlefield.
