HOT! Tethered Aerostats in Afghanistan

Tom Vanden Brook (2010) wrote in USA TODAY  that the hottest United States weapon in Afghanistan, a spy balloon, lacks a lethal capability, floats thousands of feet off the ground, and does not carry any warfighters.  Because unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs; also known as unmanned air vehicles and unmanned airborne vehicles) such as the Predator cannot be built fast enough, we need these balloons fitted with high-powered cameras.  These high-powered cameras provide the same type of surveillance as the Predator drones.  These balloons, which look like small blimps, are known as aerostats.  The aerostats cost $10 million apiece, which is about half as expensive as the Predator drones and supporting equipment and personnel needed to fly them.

Vanden Brook (2010) further reported that the military commenced shipping aerostats to Afghanistan for a better look at how insurgents increased their planting of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).  The camera can see 10-15 miles away.  It can spot insurgents planting makeshift bombs.  Currently, we have more than 30 spy balloons in Afghanistan, and the goal is to have 64 of them tethered thousands of feet above military bases and key roads.

A civilian friend of mine, Bill Shervey, has been in Afghanistan installing these tethered aerostats all over the country.  Since the end of March 2010, he has been supporting a project for Lockheed Martin called Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS).  His tour will last for a year.  I am ultra-jealous of him acquiring that great experience in the war zone.  I would give an arm and a leg to obtain such an assignment.

Bill Shervey reported that the Afghan fighters, and even the insurgents from Pakistan, are using the AK-47 as the weapon of choice.  There is very little sophistication in their armament.  The Army and Marines told him that the AK-47 does not have the horsepower to reach the aerostat.  Even if the bullets did reach it, there would not be enough energy for penetration.  Additionally, the insurgents view the aerostat from several miles away.  From that perspective, it is very difficult to judge size and distance of the aerostat, thereby making it difficult to hit with rifles or RPGs.

Shervey said that there have been some close calls with the aerostats.  In August 2010, he and his team worked through the night setting up a new site.  At sunrise the next morning, the team began taking AK-47 fire from outside the base.  The insurgents had hit the aerostat 5 times before they could launch.  Being hit 5 times created 10 holes in the aerostat—5 on the way in and 5 on the way out.  The system is still flying today and doing a good job.  However, it was a little touch and go in the beginning.

The real danger to the aerostat systems is when it is on the ground in its mooring station.  They try to keep them in the air at all times.  Shervey has set up a number of sites over the last several months.  Of those systems, two of them had spotted insurgents burying roadside bombs within the first 24 hours of the aerostat launch.  Once the bad guys are spotted and recorded doing their deeds, the Army and Marines capture them and destroy the bombs in place.

In a communiqué, Bill Shervey said, “As you know, IEDs are the number one killer in theater.  I just finished setting up a number of sites over the last several months for Lockheed Martin and have been fortunate to travel the country pretty extensively already.  Two of the systems I built caught bad guys burying IEDs on the second day the asset was in the air.  It’s pretty satisfying seeing them get caught and making them pay the price.”

Reference

Vanden Brook, T. (2010, September 27). Demand for spy balloons in Afghan war hits high. USA TODAY. Retrieved from www.usatoday.com/news/world/afghanistan/2010-09-27-spy-balloons_N.htm?csp=34news.

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