A kite balloon is a tethered balloon which is shaped to help make it stable in low and moderate winds and to increase its lift. It typically comprises a streamlined envelope with stabilising features and a harness or yoke connecting it to the main tether and a second harness connected to an observer's basket.
Kite balloons are able to fly in higher winds than ordinary round balloons which tended to bob and spin in windy conditions.[1] They were extensively used for military observation during World War I and similar designs were used for anti-aircraft barriers, as barrage balloons in both world wars.
- ^ Ege, 1973, pp.128–129