The invaders claim that the balloon was programmed to drop a bomb if it landed on a selected settlement in Russia. But the Russians themselves could have initiated it.
For the first time, an unmanned balloon with an autonomous control system and an explosive warhead was shot down on Russian soil. The remains of the device were demonstrated and analyzed by the Russian Telegram channel “UAV Developer”.
According to the Russians, a bomb consisting of ballast from a bottle, a container with electronics for control, a GPS navigation module, a box with a satellite tracking device SPOT Trace and two pipes was suspended, containing explosives and pieces of steel rods as striking elements. from the balloon The system constantly monitors the coordinates during the flight, and the coordinates of Russian cities are programmed into the controller.
Once the cannon is above one of the specified locations, it drops the warhead, burning the threads and providing an electric current to the pieces of wire. A sensor inside a shockproof casing flies with it, so the balloon’s creators can track where the Russians will take the debris.
The author of the channel implies that the balloon was launched by the Defense Forces of Ukraine. As he assured, the warhead is standard and is used by Ukrainian kamikaze drones and bombers. The balloon itself is similar in appearance and principle of operation to harmless weather balloons, making it difficult to detect and shoot down.
Ukrainian officer and radio technologist Sergei Beskrestnov, with the call sign “Flash”, criticized the version of Russian analysts on his Telegram channel:
“I think it’s a kind of game. I sent beacons into the sky on probes and tracker video cameras. You can never predict where a ball like that will fly. Even if you analyze the wind from below, it’s a completely different story from above. It’s like shooting into nowhere.”
At the same time, Defense Express suggests that Russian troops may have launched the bomber balloon themselves and then accidentally hit it with “friendly fire”. Analysts reminded that in 2023, the Russian Armed Forces occasionally sent balloons with radar corner reflectors to the skies of Ukraine. They were probably launched to detect or provoke air defense systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Defense Express added that the Russian army has various types of balloons for different purposes in its arsenal. For example, the Au-23 with corner reflectors for air defense training, as well as the AN-S1 and VAL-120, which can lift small aerial bombs.
It has recently been learned that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are using Aerobavovna balloons, which can stay in the air for weeks. They act as relays for Ukraine’s kamikaze drones, allowing them to attack invader positions from greater range.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.