Armed forces are turning to an 18th-century technology to snoop on enemies
High-altitude balloons are surprisingly useful in modern conflicts
SOLDIERS ON MANOEUVRES always relish a “sinking exercise”: the chance to blow up a clapped-out warship as target practice. But during last year’s Valiant Shield, a big American wargame in the Pacific, many witnessed a first-of-its-kind scuppering. A balloon in the stratosphere, equipped with what were described as “electromagnetic spectrum sensors”, helped guide the army’s new Precision Strike Missile into a moving ship. This year also saw the army sign a deal worth $4.2bn to upgrade its fleet of tethered “aerostat” balloons, employed for surveillance and communication closer to the ground.
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