Is This The End For Aerostats?

Is This The End For Aerostats?

960611-F-4141A-001 The 71M Aerostat Test Balloon is prepared for lift off from the Aerostat Test Bed at McGregor Range, N. M. on June 11, 1996, during exercise Roving Sands Ô96. The AerostatÕs radar system, located under the belly of the balloon, is able to track aircraft and cruise missiles at a range of up to 150 nautical miles. Roving Sands Ô96 is the worldÕs largest joint, tactical air defense exercise involving service men and women from the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands and Canada. The exercise allows multinational forces to practice tactics, techniques and procedures improving their defense capabilities. DoD photo by Airman Benjamin Andera, U.S. Air Force.

This post is also available in: heעברית (Hebrew)

Will advanced hovering tethered platforms make tactical aerostats obsolete?

This question does not have a definite answer but more and more experts ask it.

The new breed of hovering tethered platforms is something else and that fact raises the still unanswered question.

The Israeli industries have identified the need for hovering systems and is putting much efforts in introducing new, more advanced ones, with some types already “off the shelf” marketing is in full blast.

Israel aerospace industries (IAI) is making a big effort to penetrate the U.S market for hovering intelligence gathering platforms.

Stark Aerospace, a U.S subsidiary of IAI has late last year unveiled the HoverLite tactical tethered hovering aerial ISR system

hoverliteThe systems has been developed  as part of a rapid research and development effort sponsored by the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO),According to Stark  HoverLite provides exceptional asymmetric observation and surveillance capabilities supporting military, homeland security and civilian missions for pop-up surveillance, border patrol, crowd monitoring, and emergency rapid response missions.

According to the U.S subsidiary of IAI rising to a height of 165 ft. in ~ 15 seconds, HoverLite is secured by a tether providing power and bi-directional signals to and from the aerial platform and its payload.

HoverLite can be operated on the move and broadcasts ISR products to users on the network or local with no signature.  

The platform is capable of carrying any payload of up to 13.2 lbs.HoverLite is suitable for a wide range of small platforms including pick-up trucks, ATVs, UGVs/USVs (unmanned ground /surface vehicles), boats, communication vehicles, etc.

Aerostats will still be the carriers of big payloads like long range detection radars but the war between them and hovering platforms is on in some sections of the battle field.