Observation balloon
An observation balloon is a type of
Historically, observation balloons were filled with
Typically, balloons were tethered to a
History
The first military use of observation balloons was by the French Aerostatic Corps during the French Revolutionary Wars, the very first time during the Battle of Fleurus (1794).[1] The oldest preserved observation balloon, L'Intrépide, is on display in a Vienna museum. They were also used by both sides during the American Civil War (1861–65)[2][3] and continued in use during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71).[4] Balloons were first deployed by the British Army's Royal Engineers during the expeditions to Bechuanaland in 1884 and Suakin in 1885.[5] They were also deployed during the Second Boer War (1899–1902), where they were used in artillery observation at the Battle of Magersfontein and during the Siege of Ladysmith.[6] In South America, a reconnaissance balloon was deployed by Brazil in July 1867 during the Paraguayan War.[7]
World War I was the high point for the military use of observation balloons, which were extensively deployed by both sides. Artillery had developed to the point where it could engage targets beyond a ground-based observer's visual range. Positioning artillery observers on balloons, generally a few miles behind the front lines and at altitude, allowed them to see targets at greater range than they could on the ground. This allowed the artillery to take advantage of its increased range.[8]
Despite their experience in late 1800s Africa, the British were behind developments and were still using spherical balloons. These were quickly replaced by more advanced types, known as
Because of their importance as observation platforms, balloons were defended by anti-aircraft guns, groups of machine guns for low altitude defence and patrolling fighter aircraft. Attacking a balloon was risky, but some pilots relished the challenge. The most successful were known as balloon busters, including such notables as Belgium's Willy Coppens, Germany's Friedrich Ritter von Röth, America's Frank Luke, and the Frenchmen Léon Bourjade, Michel Coiffard and Maurice Boyau. Many expert balloon busters were careful not to go below 1,000 feet (300 m) to avoid exposure to anti-aircraft and machine guns.[citation needed]
World War I observation crews were the first to use parachutes, long before they were adopted by
Observation balloons also played a role during the
From late January to early February 2023, a balloon originating from China was spotted in United States airspace. The Chinese government claimed it was a weather balloon, while the United States government claimed it was a spy balloon.[12] On June 29, 2023, Patrick S. Ryder, a DoD Spokesperson, said in a press conference that the balloon did not collect/transmit while it was transiting/flying over the United States and US military efforts contributed to the block.[13] In an interview aired on CBS News Sunday Morning on Sep 17, 2023, Mark Milley told David Martin that the balloon was not spying and it was a high confidence assessment by the United States Intelligence Community that there was no intelligence collection and transmission by the balloon.[14]
Notable programs
See also
- 2023 Chinese balloon incident
- American observation balloon service in World War I
- Air observation post
- Balloon buster
- Barrage balloon
- Roswell incident
- Surveillance aircraft
- Surveillance blimp
- Union Army Balloon Corps
- Tethered balloon
References
- ^ Thompson, Holland (1920). The World's greatest war from the outbreak of the war to the Treaty of Versailles. Grolier. p. 243.
- ISBN 9780850451634.
- ^ "Balloons in the American Civil War". CivilWar.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015.
- ^ "A History of Aeronautics". The World Wide School. November 1997. Archived from the original on 28 January 2004.
- ^ "Early military ballooning". Royal Air Force Museum. Archived from the original on 19 May 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ "The Boer War". Royal Air Force Museum. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ "Blog Archive – Roberto Adolfo Chodasiewicz". Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^ The Western Front Association. 29 June 2008. Archived from the originalon 2 December 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Ege, L.; Balloons and Airships, Blandford, 1973. p. 68.
- ^ "Kite Balloons in Escorts". Naval History and Heritage Command.
- ^ "High-Tech Balloon to Help Forces Keep Watch". The Washington Post. 20 August 2009.
- ^ "U.S. Detects Suspected China Spy Balloon Hovering over Northwest". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "Defense Department Press Briefing | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "China's spy balloon: What we've learned – CBS San Francisco". CBS News. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Fowler, Shane (25 July 2017). "Mystery solved: 'Thing in the woods' revealed as CIA spy camera, 55 years later". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
- ISBN 1-56098-025-7
External links
- Media related to Observation balloons at Wikimedia Commons
- Memoirs & Diaries - In a Kite Balloon at First World War.com
- The Parseval-Siegsfeld Kite Balloon in Flight
- Nighttime photography, a description of WW2 aerial reconnaissance photography by Harold Eugene Edgerton