Honestly, I think there’s a real place for an attack drone that’s lighter than air and solar powered.
Very slow, but cheap* and able to travel basically unlimited distance before dropping either a bomb or a guided FPV drone/glider as its payload. If necessary, it could also loiter in an assigned area for a very long time, waiting and searching for targets – great for area denial or setting up an ambush or just for surveillance/artillery spotting. It only needs to be fast enough to maintain headway against the worst wind currents you can’t avoid.
*To enhance the cheapness, they can be filled with cheap, abundant hydrogen. Hydrogen is more dangerous than helium, but lighter and actually works better. And, again, most importantly: much cheaper and easier to get. Hydrogen blimps became very unpopular after the Hindenburg disaster, but the fire risk is much more acceptable in a disposable unmanned vehicle. (Although, come to think of it, they don’t even really have to be disposable. If you wanted, they could travel to their target, drop their payload, and then return all the way back to be reloaded and used again.)
Glide bombs carried by “lighter than air” drone carriers at high altitude, the glide bombs also apparently turn off GPS at a certain height to avoid interference. Pretty sure it was posted on this sub last week
Honestly, I think there’s a real place for an attack drone that’s lighter than air and solar powered.
Very slow, but cheap* and able to travel basically unlimited distance before dropping either a bomb or a guided FPV drone/glider as its payload. If necessary, it could also loiter in an assigned area for a very long time, waiting and searching for targets – great for area denial or setting up an ambush or just for surveillance/artillery spotting. It only needs to be fast enough to maintain headway against the worst wind currents you can’t avoid.
*To enhance the cheapness, they can be filled with cheap, abundant hydrogen. Hydrogen is more dangerous than helium, but lighter and actually works better. And, again, most importantly: much cheaper and easier to get. Hydrogen blimps became very unpopular after the Hindenburg disaster, but the fire risk is much more acceptable in a disposable unmanned vehicle. (Although, come to think of it, they don’t even really have to be disposable. If you wanted, they could travel to their target, drop their payload, and then return all the way back to be reloaded and used again.)
Ukraine are already doing it.
Glide bombs carried by “lighter than air” drone carriers at high altitude, the glide bombs also apparently turn off GPS at a certain height to avoid interference. Pretty sure it was posted on this sub last week
Here’s one report on it, apparently 1000 launched so far
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/06/25/ukraines-newest-strike-weapon-drifts-into-russia-on-the-wind/
And a defensive version (article a year old mayno longer be current)
https://www.twz.com/air/balloon-launched-drone-to-intercept-long-range-kamikaze-drones-emerges-in-ukraine
Google aerostat rather than balloon for more links.