Poland Strengthening Air Defence On Border With Belarus In Unusual Way

The implementation of the Barbara project has begun.

Poland is strengthening the air defence system on the border with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine with the help of balloons, which were massively used back in World War II.

This is reported on Facebook of the Polish recruitment centre in Sandomir.

Poland has launched the Barbara project, which is based on balloons. It is reported that the Polish Radio Technical Forces plan to form an aerostatic battalion with four aerostat posts by 2026.

While the balloons were previously used as barrage vehicles for aircraft, they now serve as radar carriers. According to the plan, they are to become an addition to the country's air defence system. Aerostats with radar stations serve as stationary means of detecting low-flying targets - cruise missiles, or drones.

The Polish army planned to use aerostats as part of its air defence as early as 2017. But it wasn't until May 2023 that the country's government submitted a formal request for the purchase of aerostat systems to the US.

It is known that the balloons will be deployed on the border with Belarus and Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation, as well as in the south-east of the country near the border with Ukraine.

It should be noted that in recent years Poland has been actively pursuing a policy of modernising its own army, which is manifested in the purchase of modern weapons, as well as in the creation and restoration of combat units.