We present the airborne Max Planck CloudKite (MPCK) platform, an instrumented tethered aerostat for atmospheric and cloud research, together with its first dedicated measurement system, the Advanced Max Planck CloudKite (MPCK⁺) instrument, designed for high-resolution observations of cloud microphysics and turbulence up to 2 km above ground level. The platform and instrument design are described, and their performance is evaluated through laboratory characterisation, wind-tunnel experiments, and multiple field campaigns over land and aboard research vessels. These evaluations also include assessments of mounting strategies and flight stability. The MPCK⁺ instrument combines advanced airborne imaging techniques: inline holography, which characterises particle size, concentration, and shape in three dimensions, and particle image velocimetry (PIV), implemented here for the first time in an in-situ airborne setting. Together, they enable co-located, high-cadence observations of cloud microphysics and turbulence. Intercomparisons with conventional probes (e.g. cloud droplet probes and pitot tubes) show consistent measurements of bulk quantities, while MPCK⁺ uniquely provides spatially resolved, co-located particle and flow fields, enabling direct observation of localised cloud microphysics–turbulence interactions inaccessible to conventional non-imaging instrumentation. Field performance evaluations demonstrate robust measurements of droplet size, concentration, and turbulence properties across a wide range of cloud conditions. These results demonstrate that the MPCK platform and MPCK⁺ instrument provide an advanced observational capability for studying cloud microphysics–turbulence interactions, bridging micrometre-scale resolution with continuous sampling over tens of kilometres.