haps
Exercise Cold Raptor: Micro-HAB Launches from Powidz, Poland
Details of the U.S. Army's July 2026 micro high-altitude balloon exercise in Poland: unit, altitudes, payloads, recovery, airspace coordination, and the prior launches it built on.
haps
analysis
The Stratosphere as an Operational Domain: SASC Language and Urban Sky's APFIT Award
The Senate Armed Services Committee recognized the stratosphere as an emerging operational domain in its FY2026 NDAA report. Urban Sky's $11.3M APFIT award funds production and fielding of a stratospheric platform — not first-time funding for the category.
haps
HAPS Missions into Russia: 77 Alerts, Mapped
An open-source map of HAPS alerts over Russia, aggregated from open Russian sources.
News
From Experiment to Procurement: The U.S. Army Issues Its First Balloon Acquisition Notice
After months of swarm exercises, the U.S. Army just issued its first formal procurement notice for high-altitude balloon systems.
haps
HAPS over the Baltic — and this is not an isolated case
In early May 2026, the U.S. Army conducted a training exercise over the Baltic region: Micro-HABs launched from Sweden and landed in Latvia after 24–30 hours of flight at altitudes above 18,000 meters. The stated objective — validating sensors and communications relay under real operational conditions. Over