Blimps Off The Border

[planeflyer21]

And into D.C.

http://news.yahoo.com/blimps-bolster-washingtons-air-shield-test-204629886--finance.html

Typical press release blather but why do those in Washington feel the need to boost air defenses there, NOW?  While removing them from the border.

From the comments below the article:  "Obama is a genius. We sell Egypt some of our best jets. Then we protect ourselves with the Hindenburg. Brilliant."

Jon

[george_995]

The Blimp looks like Moby Dick with a nut sack. <laughs>

[planeflyer21]

The Blimp looks like Moby Dick with a nut sack. <laughs>

The one on Ft. Huachuca was only a few hundred yards from my Aunt's house, when she lived up there.

Jon

[98Z5V]

Yep, it's up everyday unless there's high winds.  <thumbsup>

[shepp]

So they're going back to WWII tech?!?!

[planeflyer21]

So they're going back to WWII tech?!?!

Very much not WWII technology.  1980s is more like it.

Aerostats originated as part of the "War on Drugs", more commonly called "radar ballons".  These were placed along the mountainous and canyon laden Southern U.S. border with Mexico, in an attempt to alleviate drug trafficking via small airplanes.  Radar coverage prior to that was geared towards monitoring commercial traffic at cruising altitudes or incoming bomber flights/ICBMs.

As Tom pointed out, when the wind kicks up the balloons come down.  And the drug flights go up.

Cool trivia, the barrage balloons over Great Britain in WWII were flown to different altitudes and had cables suspended from them.  Aircraft flying into the cables would be shredded.  The concentrations of the balloons made a sort of aerial minefield.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrage_balloons

Those would probably be more affordable and keep more people employed than high-tech aerostats.

Jon

[shepp]

Very much not WWII technology.  1980s is more like it.

Aerostats originated as part of the "War on Drugs", more commonly called "radar ballons".  These were placed along the mountainous and canyon laden Southern U.S. border with Mexico, in an attempt to alleviate drug trafficking via small airplanes.  Radar coverage prior to that was geared towards monitoring commercial traffic at cruising altitudes or incoming bomber flights/ICBMs.

As Tom pointed out, when the wind kicks up the balloons come down.  And the drug flights go up.

Cool trivia, the barrage balloons over Great Britain in WWII were flown to different altitudes and had cables suspended from them.  Aircraft flying into the cables would be shredded.  The concentrations of the balloons made a sort of aerial minefield.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrage_balloonsThose would probably be more affordable and keep more people employed than high-tech aerostats.

Jon

thats what came to mind when i saw the story..........

[survivalshop]

They are very quite when they want to be & can linger for days on sight . Stealth .

[392heminut]

We have one here too, about 10 miles south of town. I have a buddy that travels around troubleshooting them. He was over in Tom's neck of the woods a couple of years ago when that one crashed and sent me some pretty cool pics of the debris. The equipment pod landed in a guy's back yard and he didn't know what the hell it was. I told my buddy "I would've hauled that poop in my garage and ebayed it!"  <lmao> <laughs>