🇮🇶🇺🇸‼️US spy balloon in the skies of Erbil, northern Iraq

🔹According to local sources, a surveillance and reconnaissance balloon has recently been deployed in the skies over the US base near Erbil International Airport.

➡️ One of the main purposes of these balloons is to provide real‑time detection of incoming suicide drones. Following the intensification of Islamic Resistance in Iraq attacks on US bases and Iranian forces' strikes on various American radars in the region, Washington is seeking new solutions to bolster its early‑warning systems. These helium‑filled balloons can typically ascend to about 10,000 ft (≈3 km) and provide sufficient surveillance and reconnaissance data to operators.

👉 For years, US forces have used aerial systems known as JLENS (Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System) and TARS (Tethered Aerostat Radar System) for aerial surveillance. The JLENS system can detect targets up to 340 nautical miles (≈540 km) away. These systems can remain aloft continuously for up to 30 days, only descending for repairs or refueling.

✍️ The US Army has a long history of using this technology in West Asia. During the 2004 occupation of Iraq, dozens of smaller, cheaper PTDS (Persistent Threat Detection System) aerostats were operated from US bases. In 2004, a JLENS system was also used to protect Iraqi oil facilities from suicide boat attacks off the country's southern coast. After 2014, the US Army also deployed balloons at the Al‑Omar oil field in Syria’s Deir ez‑Zor province and at the Al‑Tanf base in Homs province.

#Iraq #US