Pentagon to deploy huge blimps over Washington, DC for 360-degree surveillance.

Hi,

This falls under so many categories of complete insanity I wasn't sure what forum to select. Please move if needed.

rt.com...

A pair of high-tech Army blimps is coming to the greater Washington, DC area, and soon they will be able to provide the military with surveillance powers that spans hundreds of millions of acres from North Carolina to Niagara Falls, Canada.

The airships are part of Raytheon’s Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, or JLENS, and when all is said and done they’ll offer the United States military what the defense contractor calls “an affordable elevated, persistent over-the-horizon sensor system” that relies on “a powerful integrated radar system to detect, track and target a variety of threats.”

If these blimps are used for monitoring the east coast against possible threats then that's great. I think they will also be used for spying on residents and in my opinion that is just wrong.

Once above the nation’s capital, JLENS will allow the Army to see for 320 miles in any direction from 10,000 feet above the earth. The system can be set up to operate on its own for an entire month without requiring refueling, and offers the Pentagon surveillance capabilities that dwarf other options at a penny of the cost.

To provide that security, though, the Army will send its integrated pair of airships — around 75 yards in length each — high into the sky carrying “powerful radars that can look deep into enemy territory.” First, however, the residents of the metropolitan Washington, DC area — and those in around a dozen states stretching the mid-Atlantic into New England — will be asked to ignore a pair of sophisticated spying machines.

“powerful radars that can look deep into enemy territory.”

WTH??? Am I missing something? What enemy?

According to PopSci, the JLENS already successfully completed two exercises in 2012 in which it guided a missile to shoot down other missiles — one over sea, another over land.

But while the likelihood of having one of the airships shoot down an armed drone heading for the White House seems unlikely, it’s a precaution that the Army intends on being prepared for — even at the widespread cost of losing privacy.

I think things are getting way out of control. What do you guys think?

Originally posted by playernumber13
I think things are getting way out of control. What do you guys think?

This implies that things were "in"-control at some point?

I think they are using the sci-fi template to their advantage. They know where to take this.

reply to post by yourmaker


True.

I wonder how long before they launch these things all over the country.

They are watching you and that's not paranoia talking.

Enemy territory=your own back yards. Asked to ignore them? What pretend it's the GoodYear blimp hovering over your homes?

Looks like the Aerostats they used in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also use them on the Mexican border too.

They don't do too well in inclement weather. When winds got too strong they had to be "reeled" in until winds subsided. More than a few broke loose from their tether and crashed.

These huge blimps seem very interesting. I am sure top secret stuff would be implemented in such systems.

I will speculate they will use huge solar panels on the thing to power a laser that could take out targets within line of sight.

What is to stop these things from dropping a cable with grappling pincers and grabbing and pulling people up in the black of night? Surly a RC cable guidance system could be conceived of to guide the cable to a target. Then abducted up and away.

With an array of big floating things around the city it also makes me wonder of something they all will be used for in unison.

Thanks for posting the info OP.

reply to post by ManOfHart

According to PopSci, the JLENS already successfully completed two exercises in 2012 in which it guided a missile to shoot down other missiles — one over sea, another over land.

The things carry missiles who knows what else they are capable of doing. It's spooky to think these things and drones are flooding the skies above America.

reply to post by playernumber13


ROFL
so if someone decides to re start adam kokesh's march on washington ...

some of the comments

Comoxio 26.07.2013 02:39
They need something new to nourish the collective paranoia of the American People and distract them from the real issues of their country...

Anonymous user 26.07.2013 02:23
ANY nation which slaughters kids with drones in Asia, Africa, etc better have such balloons all over

Anonymous user 26.07.2013 01:57
Anybody know if 1 inch slugs can penetrate a police riot helmet? I imagine they don't even need to.

Anonymous user 26.07.2013 01:48
How many Congressmen, will [we] be able to dangle from one blimp?
+1

Anonymous user 26.07.2013 01:36
When you have 300 million people that want to see you in jail, you need all the security you can get

For these blimps to work in the manner described they would have to hover at very high altitudes. 50-80,000 feet at the very least.

While I am unconcerned by the military having surveillance technology, I am concerned with the NSA, DHS and others having this at their disposal. Any new surveillance system should be vetted by congress.

reply to post by projectvxn


Radar horizon rule of thumb:

Distance in statute miles = 1.4*sqrt (height in ft).
Distance in nautical miles = 1.23*sqrt(height in ft).

They don't scale perfectly (i.e nautical to statute), but these are just common rules of thumb.

This yields 140 statute miles from the center, i.e. radius. Thus the circle is 280 statute miles for one airship. It isn't clear how they will deploy two.

Pointing out the obvious here, this system would have a single point of failure, namely the dirigible. [Shoot one down and it is degraded surveillance. Shoot two down and you are off line.] Further, the city is not denied territory. You can have multiple sensor locations on tall buildings or mountains. I'm sure they do already. Not as good as the eye in the sky, but good enough and quite stealthy.

Remember in DC, nothing can be taller than the Washington Monument. Thus it is not a very vertical town.

The problem is all the FAA radar we have is not capable of height finding. It certainly can't be used for military purposes. So supposedly the country is vulnerable except for the Pavepaws and other schemes. Post 9/11 the Pavepaws received a major upgrade, much to the chagrin on ham radio operators who shared the same spectrum.

reply to post by gariac


Isn't that just a myth that nothing can be higher than the Washington Monument? I think the law is no building can be higher than the street adjacent to it is wide plus 20 feet.

Although for a building to be higher than it the adjacent street would have to be 535 foot wide

reply to post by playernumber13


I think their psycho paths. Paranoid psycho-paths. And their obviously very dangerous.

theory; these will be airborne radar units in case of saucer attack. (or another airborne terrorist op)
remember, they came in 1952 (Truman was still pres) (saucers, not terrorists)
as I understand it there is a 24/7 combat air patrol over DC. this might replace them.

I like. airships are way cool.

cue Alan Parson; I am the eye in the sky...
I can read your email. I mean, I can read your mind...

fyi; the Navy has been flying airships out of Pax River (NAS Patuxent, a few miles south of DC) for some years now. possibly testing the platform. iirc they were used to monitor the Gulf after the oil spill
en.wikipedia.org...