Russia testing balloon-suspended nets to defend against Ukrainian drones

The system is simple: A cable is stretched between several balloons, with Kevlar threads attached and hanging down from it. The idea is that a drone flying into the barrier would become tangled in the threads, causing it to lose control. The developers featured in the report said the technology is ready for mass production.

However, protecting a single large facility would require at least 10 balloons to be deployed.

Similar barriers were widely used during WWII against enemy aircraft. The balloons forced bombers to fly higher, reducing their accuracy. Militarnyi suggested that the goal may be similar today: to force Ukrainian drones to fly higher, where they would be easier for radar to detect and air defense systems to shoot down.

This is not Russia’s first attempt to use balloons to protect against drones. Earlier, a Russian chemical company announced a contract to purchase balloons to protect its facilities from Ukrainian attacks.