US DARPA looks for ways to CAPTURE spy balloons
The US has shown it can bring down spy balloons but wants to grab the payloads intact. (Photo: USN)
DARPA has launched a rapid development programme to find solutions to intercept slow-moving, high-altitude aerial systems which enter US airspace, and seize their payloads, a response to Chinese surveillance balloons which crossed the continental US earlier this year.
Laboriously designated Project CAPTURE (Capturing Aerial Payloads To Unleash Reliable Exploitation), the work is structured as a Small Business Innovation Research procurement and is progressing straight to Phase Two. According to DARPA it ‘should produce a fieldable prototype final design review that satisfies project objectives in no more than six months after contract award’.
‘A follow-on option phase should include a final demonstration no more than 9 to 12 months after contract award.’
The objective is to ‘develop and demonstrate a prototype system to capture and recover exploitable payloads from slow speed high-altitude aerial systems of interest within or approaching US sovereign airspace’.
Related Articles
US shoots down Chinese surveillance balloon over the Atlantic, debris recovered
‘Balloongate’ lays bare Chinese hypocrisy over military surveillance (Opinion)
Chinese balloon affair prompts lawmakers' push on Pentagon to improve air and sea detection
Ignoring the difficulty of detecting any such balloon, the interception and capture of a payload from such a slow-moving system at an altitude of up to 60,000ft, described as threshold, to 75,000ft, described as the objective, is obviously challenging.
As highlighted in the solicitation: ‘The F-22 is one of few aircraft able to operate at an altitude above 50,000ft. Additionally, these aircraft travel at hundreds of miles per hour while attempting to identify and target slow-moving or stationary objects’.
Earlier this month, the Senate Committee on Appropriations proposed an additional $293.5 million for new and upgraded radars plus communications equipment to protect the US homeland. The balloon episode has pushed lawmakers towards increasing the Pentagon’s budget to improve its detection capabilities.
More from Air Warfare
-
![Singapore Airshow 2026: Saab eyes “share” in future fighter market, targets 2027 CCA demo flight]()
Singapore Airshow 2026: Saab eyes “share” in future fighter market, targets 2027 CCA demo flight
The Swedish government is expected to make a decision on the next steps of the Future Fighter System Concept programme by 2030, with the current second phase focusing on technology knowledge expansion and demonstration flights.
-
![Singapore Airshow: Red Cat ramps up portfolio development amid “key” APAC opportunities]()
Singapore Airshow: Red Cat ramps up portfolio development amid “key” APAC opportunities
In the wake of its 1,842% year-on-year revenue increase in Q4 2025, Red Cat sees mass opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region as the company eyes an ongoing production increase and market growth.
-
![India confronts widening military helicopter gap as border demands intensify]()
India confronts widening military helicopter gap as border demands intensify
India’s major helicopter programmes are under the spotlight as the country turns to global partners to replace legacy helicopters with growing urgency.
-
![Singapore Airshow 2026: Boeing’s MQ-28A targets key 2028 date as Block II ground tests begin]()
Singapore Airshow 2026: Boeing’s MQ-28A targets key 2028 date as Block II ground tests begin
The MQ-28A Ghost Bat is the most mature CCA platform currently under development, with Boeing looking to accelerate its timelines and development of the aircraft.
-
![Latin American air forces look beyond fighters to revamp transport aircraft fleets]()
Latin American air forces look beyond fighters to revamp transport aircraft fleets
The Mexican Air Force has become the first Latin American operator of the C-130J Super Hercules, but the service is not alone in acquiring a tactical airlifter in recent months.
