Ukraine may have found a cheap way to give a drone extra range.
Let a balloon do the first 42 km.
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Ukrainian troops reportedly tested launching the Ukrainian-American Hornet one-way attack drone from an aerostat. The balloon carried it 42 km and released it from 8 km altitude.
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The drone used only about 5% of its battery before beginning its own flight.
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The trick is simple: the balloon provides distance and altitude, while the drone keeps almost all of its battery for the real mission. If proven at scale, it could push Hornet’s estimated 100–150 km reach by another 1.5 to 2 times.
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This is what Ukrainian defense innovation often looks like: clever ways to stretch what already exists.
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