By Mustafa Caglayan
NEW YORK
The U.S. Army will station two tethered airships to better surveil the air space of the nation’s capital, an aerospace defense contractor said Thursday.
The Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, or JLENS for short, can float 10,000 feet (3.04 km) to provide all-around radar coverage and can detect and track missiles, and manned and unmanned aircraft from up to 340 miles away.
The system is planned to be integrated with Washington area's already existing defense programs including the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System.
It allows the military to safeguard hundreds of miles of territory at a fraction of the cost of fixed wing aircraft, according to the JLENS' manufacturer Raytheon Corp.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command plans to launch the nonrigid airships, called "blimps," next week.
Blimps are dependent on internal gas pressure to maintain their form, and therefore more cost-effective than traditional aircraft.
They were used by navies during World War I in convoy and anti-submarine patrol duty, became attractions at fairs and expositions, and later carried advertising messages.
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