Strengthening air defense: Poland will deploy balloons equipped with radar stations on the Ukrainian border
Poland is creating a balloon battalion to strengthen its air defense capabilities. One of the balloons will be placed on the border with Ukraine.
This was reported by the recruitment center in Sandomierz, Poland.
As part of the Barbara project, balloons will be turned into carriers for radar stations. They should complement the long-range radar detection capabilities of Saab 340 AEW aircraft.
The battalion will have four balloon posts. Three of them will be located on the border with Belarus and Russia, and another in the southeast of the country near the border with Ukraine. The first post is going to be deployed in July 2026.
Aerostats with radar will act as stationary means of detecting low-altitude targets, such as cruise missiles or drones. Climbing to a higher altitude can significantly increase the distance to the radio horizon. At the same time, balloons are much cheaper to operate than airplanes, although they are more dependent on weather conditions.
Warsaw’s first plans to use balloons as an element of air defense were made in 2017. The Poles rely on the experience of the United States in this regard. A system of 11 balloons has been deployed in the United States, located in Florida, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico.
