Ukraine already flies high-altitude aerostats over Russia and now a company has developed a new missile to drop from them onto Russian infrastructure.
The DART missile, designed by Ukrainian company Center of Innovative Technologies Program, is designed to plummet from an altitude of 12-18 km, guided by an onboard navigation system until it reaches 6 km.
At this point, the navigation shuts down, the solid fuel engine activates, and the missile burns towards the target without changing course. This is meant to prevent interference from electronic warfare.
The payload reportedly masses up to 10 kilograms and uses “graphite elements.” This likely means that the DART is a kind of graphite bomb, which disperses electrically conductive filaments that are meant to short out electrical grids.
In April, Russian sources claimed that Ukrainians used graphite payloads mounted on drones to attack infrastructure in occupied areas, which Ukrainian forces neither confirmed nor denied.
The missile has not yet passed codification, but is reportedly due for trials “in the near future.”
Aerostats as launch platforms
Untethered aerostats have participated in strikes on the deep rear of Russia since 2024, but have become ever more active in 2025-2026, targeting refineries, railways, and other infrastructure. The words “aerostat notice” appeared hundreds of times on Russian Telegram channels that monitor Ukrainian air threats from Fall 2025 through Spring 2026.
They are cheap, easy to deploy, are carried into Russia by prevailing winds, and can reach extremely high altitudes, making them difficult to shoot down, not that the Russians aren’t trying. One source told Euromaidan Press that once the Russians detect an aerostat, they fire everything at it, from Pantsirs, Tors and Buks, to even their S-300 and S-400 missiles.
The balloons can carry signal repeaters that extend over 100 kilometers, which can be daisy chained together to provide continual control for long-range weapons. Alternatively, they can carry drones and missiles like the DART deep into Russia’s rear, to then strike targets from any direction.
Being at the mercy of the wind does make the initial launch location somewhat unpredictable, but sources told Euromaidan Press that sufficient meteorological modeling exists to make them viable platforms for surveying or attacking Russia.
