Ukrainian company develops innovative balloons for monitoring combat drones
Aerobavovna creates balloons for the Ukrainian military, which are used for surveillance, relaying communications and control signals to drones. Some models of balloons have already been tested at the front.
Balloons filled with helium can stay in the air for weeks. Aerostats are used to install a signal repeater for FPV drones and unmanned aerial vehicles. A relatively small 12-cubic meter balloon lifts a payload of approximately 4 kg to an altitude of 500 meters and stays in the air all day. The repeater has a remote control, and the drone operator turns it on and off as needed, thus saving battery power.
The installed repeater can provide communication at a distance of 100 km if it is located at an altitude of 300 meters. The larger model has a power supply by loss of power, with this scheme the device will work for two weeks if the battery is changed in time or the generator is refueled. The balloon can be launched by a team of 2-3 people in 15 minutes.
The shape of the balloon is specially designed for the conditions of use. “The problem is that if you just lift and tie a balloon, it will be nailed to the ground in a strong wind, so there must be a special aerodynamic shape that combines the balloon and the kite,” says the developer.
Most of the necessary components of the balloon are made in Ukraine, and some are foreign-made. The shell itself costs relatively little compared to the complex systems installed on the balloon.
Some balloons suffer at the front from the fire behind them, but a balloon filled with helium is not under pressure and loses gas and altitude very slowly. It reaches the ground three hours after being shot down. Thanks to this, the payload remains intact during a fall, provided there were no direct hits to it.
