The United States will spend more than $27 million on balloons to spy on Russian missiles

In early July 2022, it became known that inflatable vehicles flying at an altitude of 20 thousand to 30 thousand meters will be added to an extensive surveillance network Pentagon and in the future can be used to track hypersonic Russian weapons.

Pentagon budget papers in the United States indicate that this technology is moving from the scientific community of the Department of Defense to military services. Since the beginning of 2020, the Pentagon has spent about $3.8 million on projects to create balloons, and in 2023 plans to spend $27.1 million to continue work on several projects, according to the department's budget documents.

The United States will spend more than $27 million on balloons to spy on Russian missiles

One way to use balloons is to supplement expensive satellites in missile tracking. Drop-shaped balloons collect complex data and are guided by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. Since 2014, the US Department of Defense has conducted tests using high-altitude balloons and solar-powered drones to collect data, provide ground forces with communications and mitigate satellite problems. The Pentagon is handing over projects to use balloons to US military services to collect data and transmit information to aircraft, according to data from DOD budget justification documents.

The Pentagon's balloon development initiative aims to tie all technology together. The Pentagon is holding demonstrations to assess how to use such technology and commercial satellites in an attack known as the - defeat chain.

High-altitude or very high-altitude platforms have many advantages in terms of station endurance, maneuverability, as well as flexibility when using several payloads, "said Tom Karako, senior researcher in the international security program and director of the missile defense project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Raven Aerostar produces balloons for the Pentagon. The developers report that they consist of a flight control unit powered by batteries that are charged using renewable solar panels. They also have an electronic payload package that monitors flight safety, navigation and communications. Wind flows allow the balloon to fly the desired flight path, and Raven Aerostar takes advantage of different wind speeds and directions to move the balloon to a given area. The company uses a proprietary machine learning algorithm that predicts wind direction and combines incoming data from sensors in real time. Raven Aerostar also uses software to pilot and monitor its balloon fleet, and also has a mission control center staffed by trained flight engineers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.^[1]

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Шаблон:Remarks