Aerostar tests Lightning high-altitude balloon as launch platform for Icarus Apollo-R surveillance drone

Aerostar says it recently tested its Lightning high-altitude balloon as a launch platform for a single Icarus Apollo-R uncrewed aircraft. The company describes this as a step toward a scalable “mothership” concept using larger balloons to carry and deploy multiple drones for ISR, communications relay, EW, or potential one-way attack roles.