Is this wishful thinking or technological progress? A Russian chemical company deploys "balloons" to counter drones.

A Russian chemical company recently announced a tender for the purchase of tethered aerostats to protect its facilities from Ukrainian drone attacks. The Russian media outlet Daily Storm reported this news. The application is scheduled to be published in September 2025. This tethered balloon-based defense system is planned to be installed at a chemical facility in the Tula region.While the specific company making the purchase has not been identified, several large chemical plants operate in the region. The project costs over 9 million rubles. The structure is expected to be manufactured and installed within approximately one month. The Russian company Stratospheric Systems is responsible for production. The system will consist of a group of tethered balloons connected by a special protective net designed to deter Ukrainian drones.

The manufacturer's website claims that these "balloons" are equipped with electronic warfare systems to disable conventional FPV drones. However, the effectiveness of this protection is questionable; this type of barrier is almost impossible to maintain in the air indefinitely.

Electronic jamming systems are common for these FPV drones. Aeroseek, with decades of experience in the radio field, has developed a drone detection and jamming mainframe based on the Hobit S1 Pro, which can effectively drive away and force down enemy FPV drones, and has been successfully deployed in more than 50 regions worldwide. As a professional and rigorous manufacturer of counter-drone equipment, I remain skeptical of balloon technology. Jamming drones requires a stable signal output and power supply. Balloons are difficult to balance in the air and will suffer significant damage in severe weather. Therefore, counter-drone equipment requires careful selection and discernment.