Ukraine deploys balloon‑launched DART missiles to strike Russian power grid

Ukraine is developing a new weapon system that releases missiles from high‑altitude balloons operating at the edge of the stratosphere. The DART missile is dropped from a balloon at about 11‑18 km, uses satellite navigation until it descends to roughly 6.5 km, then switches to a solid‑fuel motor that follows a fixed trajectory, making it difficult for Russian electronic‑warfare systems to divert it. The 10‑kg warhead is reported to contain conductive carbon‑fiber wires intended to short‑circuit Russia’s electricity networks.

The balloons are inexpensive, can linger for long periods, and are carried by prevailing west‑to‑east winds deep into Russian territory, with more than 1,000 already released, some reaching as far as Moscow where Russian air‑defence radars detected them at around 10 km altitude. By combining the balloon’s range with a small UAV—such as the US‑made Hornet drone from Perennial Autonomy—Ukraine can double the effective strike distance of the UAV from about 150 km to over 300 km.

The system is designed to be low‑cost, stealthy to radar and resistant to electronic jamming, providing Kyiv with a cheap means to pressure Moscow and potentially influence negotiations.