Military aerostats to fly over Baltimore

[sellersm]

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...rban-baltimore

snippet:

One of the most disturbing and relentless trends over the past several years has been the redirection of war technology and equipment from the battlefield abroad toward domestic use in the USA. This has resulted in a militarization of police across the nation and has encouraged small towns to use Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants to purchase ridiculous items such as tanks.Sadly, it appears this trend is only accelerating. With billions of dollars already spent, and failed wars abroad, the military-industrial complex needs to continue to generate cash flow. May as well just use it against the American people.


We find out from the Washington Post that:

They will look like two giant white blimps floating high above I-95 in Maryland, perhaps en route to a football game somewhere along the bustling Eastern Seaboard. But their mission will have nothing to do with sports and everything to do with war.

The aerostats — that is the term for lighter-than-air craft that are tethered to the ground — are to be set aloft on Army-owned land about 45 miles northeast of Washington, near Aberdeen Proving Ground, for a three-year test slated to start in October. From a vantage of 10,000 feet, they will cast a vast radar net from Raleigh, N.C., to Boston and out to Lake Erie, with the goal of detecting cruise missiles or enemy aircraft so they could be intercepted before reaching the capital.

Interesting, I didn’t realize we were at war. When was the last time cruise missiles were shot into the United States?

[Hoser]

Interesting, I didn’t realize we were at war. When was the last time cruise missiles were shot into the United States?

We have been at war since 11 Sept, 2001.

[Sharpienads]

10,000' sounds kinda high for an aerostat. Better throw up a ROZ around that!

[Hoser]

10,000' sounds kinda high for an aerostat. Better throw up a ROZ around that!

Ahhh. Come on. This is the internet, facts have no place here.

[Sharpienads]

I'm no aerostat expert, but I've never heard of one with radar. I'm also not a radar expert, but don't see the advantage of placing a tiny radar on a blimp for detection of missiles and aircraft. Seems like a much larger, more capable radar on the ground would be better than the piddly radar they could put on a blimp.

This one doesn't pass the smell test for me. I'm not saying they aren't using surplus military equipment over Baltimore, but I am saying some of the facts and reasons in this article are BS.

[hollohas]

When I was a kid in southern AZ I would frequently see smaller tethered blimps out my front door...they used them to survey the boarder. That was in the 80's.

[sellersm]

Hoser & Sharpienads: yep, the whole thing 'smells funny' to me. The article quotes from the Washington Post, so what do they know?

[eneranch]

Probably another bright idea by the current Administration

[mtnrider]

I'm no aerostat expert, but I've never heard of one with radar. .

They have Radar. They have actually been on our borders for many years. Lets just say I am somewhat familiar with them. :-)

[Zundfolge]

We have been at war since 11 Sept, 2001.

Actually we have been at war since 623 AD ... most of the time we didn't even realize it.