Unusual balloons equipped with GPS and armed with mortars have been discovered in Russia. The Ukrainian army would potentially use these new devices to map and strike enemy targets.
A new Ukrainian weapon in the war with Russia? Telegram channels supporting the Russian military have documented flights and crashes of various military balloons in the Belgorod region, on the border with Ukraine. These devices are unlike those that have been observed previously, notably during the recent China spying case on the United States. The allegedly Ukrainian balloon has a more elongated shape and could be armed. Its concrete capabilities are not known and the Ukrainian military has not shared anything about it.
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The images shared by the social media accounts were analyzed by physics experts. DanielR, physicist and OSINT analyst on X (ex-Twitter), carried out a detailed study of the electronic components visible in the photos. “ The Bluetooth module is the brain of the ball. This module can activate a relay to pass an electric current through the wire that holds the ammunition string. The loop will become very hot and melt or burn the string, releasing the ammunition “, he notes on April 22, 2024.
The balloon found in Russia also contains a device that “ sends GPS location data directly to communications satellites. Ukraine receives this location information every few minutes, depending on the tracking plan », analyzes DanielR. GPS could also help map Russian areas to improve the accuracy of future drone strikes. An 82mm mortar-like munition was attached to one of the balloons. It appears that the structure of the bomb was 3D printed.
A balloon more difficult for the Russian army to spot
Asked by Forbes, engineer Steve Randall, of balloons Random Engineering Ltd, says the device appears to have been made at home and does not look like a normal weather balloon. He suggests that the black material could be a type of plastic used for trash bags and that it could be the casing of a thermal balloon. This type of balloon absorbs solar energy to warm up and gain buoyancy. However, we do not know whether the balloon is sailing with the winds or whether the Ukrainian army has calculated a precise trajectory.
According to DanielR, the entire device could cost around $1,000, depending on the type of gas used. The ball could be difficult to spot on radar. At an altitude of 9,000 km or more, the only way to bring down the balloon is to use an expensive surface-to-air or air-to-air missile, which seems to be a good compromise for the Ukrainians. Faced with a lack of ammunition, the Ukrainian army has been increasing its homemade innovations for several months, even if it means testing sometimes improbable weapons.
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