Azerbaijan bought a Sky Dew observation balloon from Israel, which is equipped with an advanced system for early detection of missiles and aircraft, Israeli media reported.

Sky Dew's mission is to detect and provide early warning of low-altitude cruise missiles, drones, and other advanced aerial threats. For this purpose, the balloon is equipped with a long-range AFAR radar. The balloon is capable of providing continuous surveillance for several days and is capable of tracking up to 500 targets with a detection range of over 250 km. It is also able to avoid disturbances from land, meaning the balloon is particularly useful for detecting low-flying threats.

The upper altitude limit of this observation balloon considerably exceeds the limits of ground-based radars, providing a greater range of visibility over the horizon.

The Sky Dew balloon is one of the largest of its kind and was developed by a joint venture between Israel's Missile Defense Organization and the US Missile Defense Agency.

The sensitive radar installed on this observation balloon is not only relatively economical in terms of resources, but also long-lasting and does not require expensive maintenance.

Data transmission between the Sky Dew balloon and its ground station is carried out over shielded fiber optic data paths.

In November of last year, it became known that Azerbaijan will buy from Israel additional Barak MX air defense systems, which are designed to protect against air threats such as planes and missiles. According to Defense Industry Europe, the amount of this transaction will be 1.2 billion dollars, reports the Israeli media outlet Details.

Earlier, the Israel Aerospace Industries "demonstrated the capabilities of the Barak MX in Azerbaijan," the tests included multiple launches of interceptors of various versions of this system.