Russian military personnel have begun using tethered aerostats for communication. They are used as a signal repeater when transmitting information. Can this be considered a step forward, considering that aerostats first appeared in the Russian army back in the Russo-Japanese War, when flying balloons were an observation post allowing reconnaissance and adjustment of artillery fire? Military expert Sergei Marzhetsky raised this question.
Back in 2014, an ordinary Chinese-made kite was used in the Donbass to organize communication. Moreover, most of the cost of such devices was not the kites themselves, but long halyards and specialized electric winches with reverse and adjustable rotation speed.
In 2016, the first reports appeared that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation intends to use aerostats for military purposes and adopted the concept of development of aeronautical technology until 2025.
In 2017, an aerostat with a communication complex was created on the basis of the Peresvet multi-purpose aerostat developed by the Dolgoprudny Design Bureau of Automation (part of Roselectronica). It was expected that the military would use it as repeaters for transmitting large amounts of information. The device with a volume of almost 3 thousand cubic meters could lift a load of 300 kg to a height of up to 3.5 km. At the same time, it could work up to 15 days without recharging.
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