From Business Insider · Kelsey Baker · · 1m 10s
Army general reverses on high-altitude balloons after seeing them work
The US Army is expanding its use of stratospheric balloons for surveillance and communications, with a top general crediting a change of heart to watching them perform in training.
In brief
The US Army is expanding its use of stratospheric balloons for surveillance and communications, with a top general crediting a change of heart to watching them perform in training. The US Army is expanding high-altitude balloon use for surveillance and communications after a senior general reversed his skepticism…
Army expands balloon surveillance plans
The US Army is building out high-altitude balloon capabilities to operate in the stratosphere, roughly sixty thousand to one hundred thousand feet above Earth, between conventional aircraft and satellites.
General Rafferty changes his mind
Lieutenant General John Rafferty, commander of Army Space and Missile Defense Command, was initially skeptical of high-altitude balloons while serving in Army Futures Command but reversed his position after witnessing them in action.
“I went from nowhere to a huge believer very quickly once I saw them in action”
Balloons offer advantages over satellites
Colonel Joseph Mroszczyk, director of Transformation Integration Space Superiority, said the Army wants a family of stratospheric systems.
Multiple missions planned ahead
The Army plans to conduct multiple experiments involving various stratospheric systems over the coming year, building on tests conducted in Europe and the Pacific.
What matters most
The US Army is expanding high-altitude balloon use for surveillance and communications after a senior general reversed his skepticism following a training exercise demonstration.
