Germany’s military, the Bundeswehr, is using helium-filled balloons to send information and propaganda leaflets, according to a recent service news release.
The use of balloons to sending leaflets has been practiced for a long time and was especially active during the Cold War. And now, activists and military from countries such as Ukraine and South Korea are using this method to send their messages to occupied territories.
Soldiers can send all sorts of things by balloon, including leaflets, memory sticks and small amounts of food.
In a release late Saturday, Bundeswehr said that with the help of helium balloons, they drop leaflets where no one can go.
Thanks to the use of modern technologies, it is possible to achieve high accuracy. The so-called BAST (Ballonauflaststellung – balloon inflation position) can be clearly seen on the monitor. The computer shows the ideal points on the map where a balloon can be launched in order to be able to drop the leaflets at a certain height in the target area.
The packages, which weigh around 4 kilograms and containing over 2,000 leaflets, are attached to the balloons. Below the balloon is a timer that triggers the dropping of the leaflets after a certain time and altitude.
The trigger height of the leaflets drop can be between 800-5000 meters, depending on the wind speed.