Design and capabilities
DART is a Ukrainian precision-guided munition developed by the Center of Innovative Technologies Program, built specifically to be launched from stratospheric balloons rather than an aircraft or ground launcher. The balloon lifts the weapon to an altitude of roughly 12 to 18 kilometres before release. DART measures 1.84 metres long and weighs 13 kilograms empty, with a warhead of 3.5 to 10 kilograms depending on configuration; reported warhead options include graphite-based penetrating elements designed to short-circuit electrical infrastructure rather than rely purely on blast damage. Its guidance is the system's defining feature: during the initial descent, DART relies on satellite navigation, but at roughly 6 kilometres altitude that navigation system shuts down entirely, and a solid-fuel engine carries the weapon the rest of the way along a fixed, pre-set course. Developers say that because it no longer receives any signal at that point, it cannot be pulled off target by GPS jamming or spoofing during the terminal phase — the same interference documented elsewhere in this glossary against Baltic shipping and aircraft — though this is a developer claim, not an independently tested result. The balloon platforms themselves are supplied by a partner company rather than built in-house.
Operational history
DART was first publicly discussed at the Eurosatory defence exhibition outside Paris in mid-June 2026 and remains, as of this writing, in the process of formal codification with Ukraine's Ministry of Defence rather than fully adopted service. Ukraine has reported using more than 1,000 balloons in operations connected to the war more broadly, according to retired Colonel Viktor Kevliuk, with balloons serving as a supporting element for long-range strike systems generally rather than DART specifically. The developers have outlined plans to adapt the DART platform into both a ballistic missile and a surface-to-air missile variant, though these remain announced intentions rather than fielded systems.
AirVeto context
DART has not been documented in any EU border-airspace incident; its intended use is deep strikes inside Russian territory, launched from Ukrainian-held ground. It is included in this glossary because it is, mechanically, closer to AirVeto's own subject matter than most systems on this list — but not fully engineless: only the balloon-carried ascent and the initial satellite-guided descent, down to roughly 6 kilometres, are wind-carried and unpowered; a solid-fuel motor propels the weapon for the remainder of its flight. This is a separate, independently documented system from the balloon-assisted Hornet launch tests covered elsewhere in this glossary — the two are distinct, well-sourced developments and should not be conflated.