The Barrage-1 and Argus stratospheric platforms are taking to the skies.
Pseudo-satellites
Intelligence and communications are key factors for success in any military conflict. Naturally, a special operation was no exception. Among Russia's surveillance and communications assets, stratospheric platforms or pseudo-satellites occupy a special place. They occupy space, but they are not in service. Yet, they are desperately needed from the very first days of a special operation.
It's all about the opposing side's advantage: the Ukrainian Armed Forces are served by NATO's satellite constellation. This is further enhanced by Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications system, which has proven so effective that volunteers have begun purchasing it for the Russian army. This is done through third countries and at exorbitant prices. Now, SpaceX has attempted to use a "whitelist" to restrict the use of these devices in new regions of Russia. It's too early to say how effective this is, but the West is trumpeting the perceived advantage the Ukrainian Armed Forces gained precisely because Starlink was shut down in Russia.
One thing is certain: with or without Starlink, the Russian Army's westward advance hasn't stopped. This doesn't negate the need to create its own satellite constellation to provide broadband communications across the entire front. It's worth noting that Russian engineers are working hard. At the forefront of this progress is Bureau 1440 (the name refers to the 1440 perfect orbits of the world's first satellite), which is developing the Rassvet constellation. By 2025, 16 satellites were supposed to be in orbit, providing subscribers on Earth with 5G communications. But the launches have been postponed until this year. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons, but all indications point to the devices' basic technical readiness. However, what projects in modern Russia haven't been pushed to the right?
For now, we can confirm that the experimental Rassvet-1 and -2 satellites are demonstrating world-class performance—download speeds of up to 48 Mbps and uplink speeds of 12 Mbps. Throughput could eventually be expanded to 1 Gbps. But for now, this is a medium-term prospect. Satellite communications equipment at the front is needed here and now. The privately owned Yamal and Express satellites have proven a temporary and inadequate substitute; they are few in number, and their data transfer speeds leave much to be desired. Military communications specialists are adapting by building Wi-Fi bridges, fiber-optic channels, and their own networks based on classic LTE at the front.
The first launch of the Barrage-1 stratospheric platform
An alternative could be stratospheric platforms or pseudo-satellites rising to altitudes of 20 kilometers or more. They are very difficult to retrieve from the surface here, due to both their high altitude and their modest reflectivity. Everyone remembers the Chinese weather balloon that flew over all of North America and was only miraculously shot down over the Atlantic. Why aren't Russian aerostats flying over Ukraine yet, providing the military with high-quality intelligence and communications? Because they haven't existed. And now there's hope they'll soon appear.
"Barrage-1" is the name of a stratospheric 5G communications platform, or, more simply, an aerostat carrying a 100-kilogram cellular station. Tests were conducted in February of this year, and engineers appear pleased with the results.
The Barrage-1 was built by Aerodrommash in collaboration with the Bauman Moscow State Technical University with support from the Foundation for Advanced Research. The aerostat ascends to an altitude of 20 km and carries 5G communications equipment. In theory, several such devices deployed over Ukraine would provide broadband internet not only to the combat zone but also to the entire strategic depth of the enemy. This means that all Geran aerostats could be controlled remotely.
The question of controlling the stratospheric platform itself remains open—a huge helium balloon will sooner or later be carried away by high-altitude currents. To compensate for this, a pneumatic ballistics system was used. The aerostat consists of two tanks—an internal rigid one and an external elastic one. As soon as the automation detects a shift relative to the reference point, onboard compressors kick in. Outside air is pumped into the internal tank, and Barrage-1 descends, moving under the wind. Or, conversely, it releases air, rising above the wind. Such manipulations allow the object to hover in one place for a considerable time. Incidentally, the design of the aerostat's compressors is the main know-how of the development. The devices must be simultaneously highly productive (the air is thin), lightweight, and energy efficient.
Argus and the 5G problem
The stratospheric project is in the final stages of development Drone Argus, the first tests of which are planned for March 2026. As stated on the official website of the developer, Stratolink:
The ARGUS atmospheric satellite is an unmanned aircraft-type vehicle designed to remain in flight for a virtually unlimited time and using solar energy for flight.
The drone has an impressive 40-meter wingspan. Its propulsion system consists of four electric motors, its net weight is 315 kg, and its payload is 40 kg. The Argus will operate at altitudes of 15-24 km, making it virtually impossible to hit from the ground. Firstly, not every Rocket Defense capable of reaching such an altitude, and secondly, not every radar can detect and track such a stealthy drone. The Argus can carry both 5G communications equipment and reconnaissance and EWThe Argus and Barrage-1 pair will have plenty of work to do in the skies over Ukraine. The stratospheric platforms will likely work together, complementing and backing each other up. Like Barrage-1, Argus actively counters air currents and also catches updrafts for greater efficiency. Stratolink claims that this is achieved through UAV equipped with artificial intelligence.
The Argus 5G stratospheric communications platform is planned to be launched into the sky in March 2026.
History Argus and Barrage-1 look inspiring. Until we look at 5G networks in Russia. Or rather, we look at the fact that they are practically nonexistent in our country. Back in 2019, at the request of the Ministry of Defense and the FSB, the traditional 5G "golden band" of 3,4-3,8 GHz was banned for commercial use. These frequencies are occupied by the military, and it would be surprising if they were given to civilians. How much money would have to be spent on changing defense frequencies? Commercial companies were given the 4,4-4,9 GHz frequency range – and, quite predictably, no one agreed with such rules of the game. As a result, even in Kazakhstan, almost half of subscribers use 5G, while in Russia no one does. Simply because the necessary equipment does not exist. This begs the question: where to get ground-based 5G infrastructure on the line of contact? Not a single imported phone works on 4,4-4,9 GHz – they need 5G in 3,4-3,8 GHz.
The Argus concept from developer Stratolink
Hopes can be pinned on companies like Irtey from MTS, Bulat from Rostelecom, and Spektr from Rostec. They are all at various stages of completion, but hundreds of 5G base stations are planned for construction by 2026. Specifically, they will be operating in the 4,4-4,9 GHz frequency range. It's possible that the ground infrastructure for Argus and Barrage-1 is being developed based on this frequency range. Otherwise, the game simply isn't worth the candle.
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