Russia develops airship-style platform for stratospheric missions

Russia plans to unveil a prototype of its Barazh-2 unmanned stratospheric platform in 2028, with the system designed to operate in an airship configuration and perform a range of practical missions.

Yan Chibisov, head of the Aviation and Space Technology Centre at the Foundation for Advanced Research (FPI), announced the plans at the Technoprom-2026 forum, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“We are currently considering launching the Barazh-2 project. If everything goes according to plan, a prototype that can already be demonstrated with practical applications is expected to emerge in approximately a year and a half,” Chibisov said.

According to Chibisov, the platform’s initial flight will be relatively short and powered by a simple energy system. Despite these limitations, the prototype is expected to demonstrate practical applications from an early stage.

A key feature of the platform is its pneumatic ballasting system, which would allow it to adjust its altitude and harness different wind currents to travel in a desired direction. The system could enable the platform to maneuver, remain over a designated area, or follow a predetermined trajectory depending on its payload.

Developers are considering a broad range of potential payloads, including advanced equipment for 5G NTN (non-terrestrial network) communications.

By Vafa Guliyeva