POWIDZ, Poland — The U.S. Army has completed a series of micro high-altitude balloon tests in Poland during Exercise Cold Raptor, evaluating the platforms for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), communications relay and electronic warfare support.
Launched from Powidz, a major U.S. military logistics and aviation hub in western Poland, the balloons traveled about 305 kilometers (190 miles) before being recovered near the Baltic Sea town of Ustka. Flying in the stratosphere at 18–21 kilometers (60,000–70,000 feet), the balloons operate above commercial airliners and weather systems.
Each balloon stands about 10 meters (33 feet) when inflated and can carry payloads weighing 9–20 kilograms (20–45 pounds). The payloads include ISR sensors, communications equipment and navigation warfare technologies, while some Cold Raptor flights carried experimental systems for communications extension and domain awareness.
According to Multi-Domain Command-Europe (MDC-E), the balloons provide "organic coverage and dynamic augmentation" as a cost-effective, launch-on-demand capability that can quickly strengthen battlefield sensing and communications when traditional networks face disruption.
The exercise also tested decentralized operations, with launch teams in Powidz and separate crews remotely monitoring and controlling flight paths while maintaining continuous communications. U.S. and Polish soldiers jointly conducted recovery operations, while coordination with host-nation authorities and civilian aviation agencies ensured safe flights across Europe's tightly managed airspace.
Cold Raptor supports NATO's Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative and is part of a broader Army program that has completed more than 50 stratospheric balloon launches over the past year, including tests in California and launches from Sweden during Exercises Sword 26 and Aurora 26. The Army will now evaluate the Poland test data to guide future equipment development and procurement decisions, as it continues integrating high-altitude balloons with drones and electronic warfare systems in multi-domain operations.
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