The Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, or JLENS (colloquially, Spy Balloon),[1] was a tethered aerial detection system designed to track boats, ground vehicles,[2]cruise missiles, manned and unmanned aircraft (airborne early warning and control), and other threats[specify]. The system had four primary components: two tethered aerostats which utilized a helium/air mix, armored mooring stations, sophisticated radars, and a processing station designed to communicate with anti-missile and other ground and airborne systems. Each system was referred to as an "orbit", and two orbits were built.[3] The Army-led joint program which fielded JLENS was designed to complement fixed-wing surveillance aircraft, saving money on crew, fuel, maintenance and other costs, and give military commanders advance warning to make decisions and provide notifications.[4] Following cost overruns, underperformance, declining support in Congress, and public scrutiny following a snapped tether which allowed one craft moored at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland to drift on a 100-mile uncontrolled descent across Pennsylvania, dragging its cable tether which damaged power lines and cut power to 20,000 homes, the program was suspended in October 2015, and completely discontinued by 2017.
In January 1996, the office of the Secretary of Defense directed the Army to establish an Aerostat Joint Project Office based in Huntsville, Alabama. The office involved all military departments—the Army would serve as program manager, while the Navy and Air Force would provide deputy program managers. Following approval of the JLENS acquisition strategy, the project office conducted design concept and risk-reduction studies.[5]
In June 1997, the project office issued a request for proposal for an early JLENS prototype. The initial program had three objectives: (1) to mitigate risks during development and acquisition; (2) to design, develop, procure, fabricate, integrate, test, demonstrate and maintain a system which met military requirements; and (3) to provide an operational prototype which could potentially be used during a deployment of troops.
Three bids were received, and in January 1998 a joint venture between Hughes Aircraft and Raytheon, located in El Segundo, California, won the initial contract—valued at $11.9 million—as part of an estimated $292 million contract if all options were exercised.[6]
Since that time, numerous studies and requirements changes have been made. According to JLENS' product manager, the system was poised for operational testing, a planned three-year deployment at Aberdeen Proving Ground; if successful, full deployment would be the next step.[6]
Design, operation and costs
The system features two tethered aerostats, roughly 77 yards (70m) in length, that float to an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000m) for up to 30 days at a time. Each aerostat utilizes a different radar system—one has a VHF-bandsurveillance radar and the other an X-bandfire-control radar. JLENS is designed to provide 24/7, 360-degree coverage extending 340 miles (300nmi; 550km). The surveillance radar scans in all directions to pick up targets, then the targeting radar looks only in a certain segment to guide weapons to it. Its detection capability seeks to equal 4–5 fixed-wing aircraft, and is designed to operate at 15–20 percent of the cost of fixed-wing aircraft.[7][8]
The tethered cables relay data and provide power. As threats are detected, information is sent to anti-missile and other fire-control systems including Patriot, Standard Missile 6, AIM-120 AMRAAM, and the Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System. Its relatively low-power usage and over-the-horizon capability makes it less expensive to operate than existing fixed-wing systems and provides significantly greater range than ground-based systems.
JLENS aerostats are filled with 590,000 cubic feet (17,000 cubic m) of non-flammable helium. Given its operational altitude, the internal pressure of JLENS is about the same as the exterior pressure, which makes the system difficult to shoot down. Airships can absorb multiple punctures before they lose altitude. When they do, they would come down so slowly that they could be reeled in, easily repaired, and quickly redeployed. Mooring stations for large systems would be relatively permanent; however, for short- or medium-range surveillance, the aerostats would likely be smaller and their mooring systems mobile.[9]
In addition to protecting U.S. cities, the system could be deployed anywhere commanders cite a need for increased missile defense capability, such as on the Korean Peninsula.[10]
In 2012, the JLENS program experienced a Nunn-McCurdy cost breach due to budget cuts for unit procurements. Under Secretary of DefenseFrank Kendall reviewed the program and directed the Army to continue with a reduced test plan using the two existing JLENS developmental orbits and prepare for operational testing at Aberdeen.[11] Two years later, in March 2014, a report by the Government Accountability Office concluded that $2.78 billion had been invested in system design, development and other costs.[6]
Following incidents with the JLENS aerostats, some retired military officials suggested that the system's sophisticated sensors be moved to more reliable platforms like satellites or long-endurance UAVs to fulfill the role of detecting low-flying cruise missiles.[12]
Testing
Since the program's inception, extensive testing has been conducted on the JLENS system. In September 2005 the program successfully completed a two-day functional review, which examined fire-control radar, surveillance radar, processing station, communication system and platform. In 2012, tests were conducted December 6–7 at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The system tracked four threats similar to tactical ballistic missiles, and it met its primary and secondary goals, including launch point estimation, ballistic tracking and discrimination performance.[6]
A 2012 report by the Pentagon's operational testing office found JLENS deficient in four “critical performance areas” and rated its overall reliability as “poor.” A year later, Pentagon technical specialists, in their most recent assessment of the system, said JLENS “did not demonstrate the ability to survive in its intended operational environment.”
In January 2013, Raytheon conducted a field trial of the JLENS equipped with its multi-spectral targeting system-B (MTS-B) to observe simulated terrorists planting an improvised explosive device (IED) in real-time. The electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor successfully tracked ground targets, even under smoky conditions from a recent forest fire. Imagery captured by the MTS-B was passed through the JLENS tether for operators to view a live feed from dozens of miles away, simultaneously tracking ground targets using its integrated radar system, demonstrating the potential for integration of JLENS radar and EO/IR payloads.[13][14]
In 2013, the Army, utilizing its own soldiers, put the system through a series of demanding drills during a period referred to as early user testing. Previously, contractor employees had been the system's primary operators. Following the six-week successful trials held at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, the Army took formal control of the system.
In October 2014, lab tests demonstrated that data collected by the JLENS radar system could be converted into a format for use by NORAD's command and control systems.[15]
Deployment
A three-year exercise for one of the two JLENS orbits was slated to begin in early 2015 at Aberdeen Proving Ground north of Baltimore, Maryland, contingent upon federal funding. The president's 2015 budget request included $54 million for JLENS. The U.S. House of Representatives cut funding in half, while the Senate fully funded JLENS. One analyst noted that "failure to pass a defense spending bill by March 2015 would impact JLENS at Aberdeen."[16]
The JLENS program was funded through achieving Initial Operational Capability (IOC) and low-rate production, which were expected around 2017 as scheduled, however only the two test model systems were put into operational service.[19]
Privacy, weaponization, and weather concerns
Privacy advocates raised concerns that the deployment could be used to track individuals by generating radar geo-location data[20] and correlating it with other technology, including cellphone metadata and traffic cameras. A spokesperson for the Army stated that "absolutely, 100 percent" that JLENS will not have video cameras,[21] nor will it collect personally identifiable information. “The primary mission...is to track airborne objects,” the Army said. “Its secondary mission is to track surface moving objects such as vehicles or boats. The capability to track surface objects does not extend to individual people."[17] Experts cite the extreme angles from overhead as precluding even advanced surveillance systems from being able to identify faces or other features such as license plates, though anonymized geolocation data has been found[22] to easily identify specific individuals.[23]
Privacy groups raised concerns that advanced sensors such as ARGUS, MTS-B[20] and other Wide Area Persistent Surveillance EO/IR payloads may be deployed, as Federal privacy regulations currently do not apply and the Army has refused to conduct a privacy impact assessment.[24] One privacy group has also claimed that JLENS could be weaponized and that it is capable of carrying Hellfire missiles.[25] However, the manufacturer claims that JLENS does not have any weapons and that it has the capacity to detect, not carry, Hellfire missiles.[26]
The JLENS system is designed to stay aloft and survive most weather patterns. According to the system's manufacturer, JLENS has survived 106mph (47m/s) winds.[27]
Incidents
In the fall of 2010, a JLENS prototype was destroyed when another airship crashed into it after becoming unmoored during severe weather.[28]
On October 28, 2015, one of two JLENS aerostats being used to conduct a test over Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland, became untethered. It was escorted by two fighter jets as it drifted at an altitude of approximately 16,000 feet (4,900m) towards Pennsylvania.[29][30] About three hours later, it was reported by NORAD to be approaching the ground near Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania,[31] about 100 miles (160km) north of Aberdeen. Its dragging 6,700 foot (2,000m) tether reportedly downed many power lines in the area, with loss of electrical power to as many as 20,000 area residents.[32] The Pennsylvania State Police reported less than an hour later that the aerostat was "contained".[33] It was found tangled in trees in Anthony Township, Pennsylvania.[34][35][36] The Pentagon suspended trials of the system after the incident until the Army completed its investigation of how the aerostat broke free.[37] The program was said to be "hanging by a thread" after the incident.[38] By February 2016, the investigation had found that a malfunctioning pressure sensing device caused a loss of air pressure in the tail fins, leading to the loss of aerodynamic efficiency which, along with increased wind drag, exacerbated tension on the tether to the point of breakage. Following the incident, the military initially decided that the JLENS should continue with its operational exercise because of the unique cruise-missile defense capability it provides, determining that changes and procedures will enable it to safely fly again.[39]
Active cancellation of JLENS
The fiscal 2017 budget for the program was cut from the requested $45 million to $2.5 million. According to Defense News, the "nearly unanimous lack of funding for the program spells death for JLENS". The blimps are being kept in storage and the small budget being used to close out the program, according to Defense News.[40]
The TomahawkLand Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship and submarine-based land-attack operations.
PAVE PAWS is a complex Cold War early warning radar and computer system developed in 1980 to "detect and characterize a sea-launched ballistic missile attack against the United States". The first solid-state phased array deployed used a pair of Raytheon AN/FPS-115 phased array radar sets at each site to cover an azimuth angle of 240 degrees. Two sites were deployed in 1980 at the periphery of the contiguous United States, then two more in 1987–95 as part of the United States Space Surveillance Network. One system was sold to Taiwan and is still in service.
The Raytheon Sentinel is a retired airborne battlefield and ground surveillance aircraft formerly operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). While based on the Bombardier Global Express ultra long-range business jet, the prime contractor for the Sentinel was the American defence firm Raytheon, which supplied most of the mission systems and performed the integration work.
Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) is the United States' anti-ballistic missile system for intercepting incoming warheads in space, during the midcourse phase of ballistic trajectory flight. It is a major component of the American missile defense strategy to counter ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) carrying nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads. The system is deployed in military bases in the states of Alaska and California; in 2018 comprising 44 interceptors and spanning 15 time zones with sensors on land, at sea, and in orbit. In 2019, a missile defense review requested that 20 additional ground-based interceptors be based in Alaska.
The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) is a small, lightweight, infrared homing surface-to-air missile in use by the German, Japanese, Greek, Turkish, South Korean, Saudi Arabian, Egyptian, Mexican, UAE, and United States navies. It was originally intended and used primarily as a point-defense weapon against anti-ship missiles. As its name indicates, RAM rolls as it flies. The missile must roll during flight because the RF tracking system uses a two-antenna interferometer that can measure phase interference of the electromagnetic wave in one plane only. The rolling interferometer permits the antennas to look at all planes of incoming energy. In addition, because the missile rolls, only one pair of steering canards is required. As of 2005, it is the only U.S. Navy missile to operate in this manner.
The United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) of the United States Army. The command was established in 1997. The current USASMDC commander is Lieutenant General Daniel L. Karbler with Senior Enlisted Advisor Command Sergeant Major John W. Foley.
The AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel is an X-band electronically steered pulse-Doppler 3D radar system used to alert and cue Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching their front line forces. It is currently produced by Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
NASAMS is a distributed and networked short- to medium-range ground-based air defense system developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) and Raytheon. The system defends against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), helicopters, cruise missiles, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), and fixed wing aircraft, firing any of a wide range of existing missiles.
Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inactivated in 1950, reactivated in 1951, and then redesignated Aerospace rather than Air in 1968. Its mission was to provide air defense of the Continental United States (CONUS). It directly controlled all active measures, and was tasked to coordinate all passive means of air defense.
A tethered, moored or captiveballoon is a balloon that is restrained by one or more tethers attached to the ground and so it cannot float freely. The base of the tether is wound around the drum of a winch, which may be fixed or mounted on a vehicle, and is used to raise and lower the balloon.
The Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) is an American low-level airborne ground surveillance system that uses aerostats as radar platforms. Similar systems include the EL/M-2083 and JLENS.
The AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) is an American military program to develop an air-to-surface missile to replace the current air-launched BGM-71 TOW, AGM-114 Hellfire, and AGM-65 Maverick missiles. The U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps plan to buy thousands of JAGMs.
David's Sling, also formerly known as Magic Wand, is an Israel Defense Forces military system being jointly developed by the Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and the American defense contractor Raytheon. It is designed to intercept enemy planes, drones, tactical ballistic missiles, medium- to long-range rockets and cruise missiles, fired at ranges from 40 to 300 km. David's Sling is meant to replace the MIM-23 Hawk and MIM-104 Patriot in the Israeli arsenal.
Airborne ground surveillance (AGS) refers to a class of military airborne radar system used for detecting and tracking ground targets, such as vehicles and slow moving helicopters, as opposed to Airborne early warning and control, whose primary role is detecting and tracking aircraft in flight. Antenna beam width should be very small to enhance resolution. This antenna size limitation demands high frequency of operation, to be operated in this mode. AGS radar is typically a medium or low power radar. It includes both maritime and land surveillance. Today, UAVs perform this operation, which often uses optical aids for surveillance.
The Integrated Sensor is Structure (ISIS) was a program managed by the United States Air Force (USAF) Research Laboratory to research the feasibility of using an unmanned airship as a high-altitude aerial reconnaissance and surveillance platform. It is sometimes called Integrated Sensor is the Structure, as a fundamental innovation was the use of the airship structure as the sensing component of a state-of-the-art radar system.
Kestrel is a wide-area motion imagery system used on aerostats at U.S. forward operating bases in Afghanistan to monitor the surrounding areas. Developed by Logos Technologies, the system is equipped with electro-optical and infrared cameras, providing day/night force protection and overwatch to troops.
The Ground-Based Operational Surveillance System, G-BOSS, created by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, is a trailer-mounted tower with mounted surveillance systems and integrated with the command operations center (COC) used primarily by the United States Marine Corps during operations in the Global War on Terror. The G-BOSS is used primarily for force protection, checkpoint security, route reconnaissance, patrol over watch, improvised explosive devices emplacement detection, intelligence gathering, and personnel/vehicle identification.
Cudjoe Key Air Force Station is a Formerly Used Defense Site of 68.5 acres (27.7 ha) in Monroe County, Florida, 7 mi (11 km) Northeast of Perky, Florida.
The Raytheon Coyote is a small, expendable, unmanned aircraft system built by the Raytheon Company, with the capability of operating in autonomous swarms. It is launched from a sonobuoy canister with the wings deploying in early flight phase.
Sky Dew, or High Availability Aerostat System (HAAS), is a high altitude missile defense aerostat used by Israel Defence Forces since 2022. The radar system was developed by Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) and the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA). It is a tethered blimp, developed by the US TCOM company. The system is deployed in the north of Israel, similar balloon is already used in the south.
↑ Matthew Hay Brown and Ian Duncan,"JLENS blimp has come free of its tether at APG, now floating over Pennsylvania; fighter jets monitoring,"The Baltimore Sun, 28 October 2015.Retrieved 28 October 2015
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
