The US Military Is Testing High-Altitude Balloons Off America's Coastlines

 

Warzone/The Drive: What We Know About The High-Altitude Balloons Recently Lingering Off America's Coastlines 

The military has been testing high-altitude balloons that are steerable and can remain aloft for long periods while carrying cutting-edge payloads. 

Over the last week at least nine sophisticated balloons have been flying off both coasts of the United States, mainly in areas usually associated with military training and testing. The transponder-equipped balloons have caught the interest of those monitoring flight tracking software, and have even been spotted from down below in a few instances. Observers have noted their ability to hold station for long periods of time and to seemingly fly against prevailing winds. With all this in mind, we decided to investigate, here's what we found out so far. 

These high-altitude balloons are the property of Raven Aerostar, a division of Raven Industries, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In recent years, Raven Aerostar has been known for its collaboration with Google's parent company Alphabet in Project Loon, an ambitious venture intended to extend Internet access to rural areas. The “Loon balloons” were designed by Raven Aerostar to fly at high altitude for extremely long durations. Project Loon announced it would shut down in January this year, despite making significant technical strides. Since then, Raven Aerostar has continued to develop its balloon technologies for other sectors, notably in the realm of intelligence and defense.  

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WNU Editor: It is a good platform for surveillance and communications, and the US military has been using them for years .... U.S. spy balloons ubiquitous, unpopular in Afghanistan (Columbus Dispatch).