Pentagon Is Testing Mass Surveillance Balloons Across The U.S.

The U.S. military is using surveillance balloons like this one to spy on the Midwest. Digital Trends

The Guardian: Pentagon testing mass surveillance balloons across the US

Exclusive: the high-altitude balloons promise a cheap monitoring platform that could follow multiple cars and boats for extended periods.

The US military is conducting wide-area surveillance tests across six midwest states using experimental high-altitude balloons, documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reveal.

Up to 25 unmanned solar-powered balloons are being launched from rural South Dakota and drifting 250 miles through an area spanning portions of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri, before concluding in central Illinois.

Travelling in the stratosphere at altitudes of up to 65,000ft, the balloons are intended to “provide a persistent surveillance system to locate and deter narcotic trafficking and homeland security threats”, according to a filing made on behalf of the Sierra Nevada Corporation, an aerospace and defence company.

Read more ....

Update #1: Oh great, the U.S. military launched giant balloons to spy on the Midwest (Mashable)
Update #2: The U.S. military is using solar-powered balloons to spy on parts of the Midwest (Digital Trends)

WNU Editor: These platforms will be able to see everything. An incredibly valuable tool to have in a warzone.