{"id":50715,"date":"2023-10-12T14:25:47","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T14:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/10\/12\/us-army-considering-aerostat-overhaul-as-focus-turns-to-russia-china\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:40:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:40:48","slug":"us-army-considering-aerostat-overhaul-as-focus-turns-to-russia-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2023\/10\/12\/us-army-considering-aerostat-overhaul-as-focus-turns-to-russia-china\/","title":{"rendered":"US Army considering aerostat overhaul as focus turns to Russia, China"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Army is examining how it can reinvigorate its aging fleet of blimp-like aircraft known as aerostats that serve as elevated surveillance and communication platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service is interested in the updates amid a focus on countering the Russian and Chinese militaries<\/a>, forces more sophisticated than those fought for decades in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAerostat, I think, is synonymous with the old fight, counterinsurgency,\u201d Lareina Adams, a project manager for terrestrial sensors, told C4ISRNET during an interview at the Association of the U.S. Army convention in Washington. \u201cBut what we\u2019re trying to see is if we can expand the applicability of the aerostat to other missions that will support the Army in 2030.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Future aerostats could carry autonomous capabilities \u2014 slashing costly logistics and staffing needs \u2014 or even counter-drone payloads. Adams said she observed autonomous features<\/a> aboard an aerostat at a recent demonstration, but offered few additional details.<\/p>\n\n\n\t