Inflatable aircraft are developed by the Pentagon as one of the means to track and counteract the hypersonic weapons of Russia and China, reports Politico with reference to budget documents of the American Ministry of Defense.
“A striking moment for the United States is that inflatable aircraft can help track and restrain the hypersonic weapon developed by Russia and China,” the newspaper writes.
Politico notes that over the past two years, the Pentagon spent about $ 3.8 million on projects to create air devices and, according to the draft budget documents, plans to spend $ 27.1 million in 2023 financial year on continuing work on several projects. According to the director of the missile defense project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies by Tom Karako, balloons and other similar devices equipped with solar panels, which can be at an altitude of 18 to 27 km, are long -term, multifunctional, and maneuverable, writes Politico.
The publication also reports that for many years the Pentagon has been testing high -altitude balloons and unmanned aerial vehicles to collect data, ensure the connection of the ground forces and eliminate satellite problems. In particular, back in 2019, the Pentagon launched 25 balloons to track drug trafficking. Balloons “can complement the work performed by traditional aircraft and satellites,” while they can be built and launched with lower financial and temporary costs, the newspaper notes.
for example, the cost of launching and operating balloons for a week or months is calculated by hundreds of thousands of dollars compared to millions or tens of millions necessary for launching and operating aircraft or satellites, ”the article says.