A Ukrainian defense company is working on a missile capable of launch from a high altitude balloon and achieve objectives within Russian territory even in environments saturated by electronic warfareas reported by Defense News. The system, called DARTis designed to circumvent one of the main military advantages of Russia On the front, its ability to jam signals GPS and other guidance systems.
The missile has been developed by the Center for Innovative Technologies of Ukraine and starts from an unusual idea. Instead of taking off from a conventional ground platform, DART is carried by a balloon to an altitude of between 11 and 18 kilometersin the lower stratosphere. From there it is released and begins its descent towards the target.
During the first phase of flight, the missile uses satellite navigation. However, Upon reaching approximately 6.5 kilometers altitude, the guidance system is deliberately turned off. From that moment on, a solid fuel rocket motor propels the weapon following a pre-programmed path.
That flight profile seeks reduce your vulnerability to Russian electronic interference. By not relying on satellite navigation in the final phase of the attack, electronic warfare systems have a limited ability to deflect the missile or disable it. It is a simpler solution than a conventional cruise missile, cheaper and harder to detect at launch.
According to its developers, DART can carry long range precision guided charges inside Russia and operate in areas where electronic warfare makes the use of drones and missiles more dependent on GPS difficult. The current version would be equipped with a warhead of about 10 kilograms.
The charge would not only be intended to cause explosion damage. The media points out that it can disperse conductive graphite filamentsdesigned to cause short circuits in electrical infrastructures. In theory, this would allow temporary interruptions in electrical networks, military installations or logistical support systems.
The gun is still under evaluation and has not completed the military certification process in Ukraine. Still, it fits with the strategy that kyiv has followed in recent years of developing its own long-range weapons to reduce its dependence on Western systems, whose use against targets on Russian territory is usually limited for political reasons.
Ukraine has already demonstrated with domestically manufactured drones and missiles its ability to attack refineries, military factories and logistics centers located hundreds of kilometers from the front. DART points in that same direction, but with a cheaper and more difficult to intercept formula.