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{{Short description|none}}
{{Broader|History of ballooning}}
[[File:Early flight 02562u (10).jpg|thumb|right|200px|''L'Entreprenant'' at the [[Battle of Fleurus (1794)]]]]
[[Balloon]]s and kites were the first inventions used in [[aerial warfare]] and their primary role was [[reconnaissance]]. Balloons provided an reliable and stable means of elevating an observer high over the [[battle]]field to obtain a birds-eye view of troop positions and movements. An early instrument of aerial intelligence collection, they were also useful for creating accurate battlefield maps, an important ingredient for battlefield success. [[Incendiary balloon]]s also have a long history. The incendiary balloons carry hot air or something that can catch fire to destroy enemy territory. They could also hold small bombs for combat. The history of military ballooning dates back to the late 18th century, when the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne, first demonstrated the potential of hot-air balloons for military use. The first recorded military use of balloons was during the French Revolutionary Wars, when the French military used balloons to gather intelligence on the movements of the enemy. Balloons were also used during the American Civil War, where they were used for reconnaissance and communication. Balloons had a decline after several incidents in the [[interwar period]].
In the late 19th century, military ballooning began to evolve, as advances in technology allowed for the development of more sophisticated balloons and equipment. Balloons were equipped with cameras, telegraphs, and other instruments that allowed for more detailed and accurate reconnaissance and observation.
During World War I, military ballooning reached its peak of development, as balloons were used extensively for reconnaissance and observation by both the [[Central powers]] and the [[Allies of World War I|Entente]]. Balloons were used to spot enemy movements, direct artillery fire, and provide early warning of enemy attacks. They also used for transporting goods, messages, and people across the battlefield.
After World War I, the use of military balloons declined, as aircraft and other technological innovations made them less relevant. However, balloons were still used for some specialized purposes, such as for meteorological observations and for training pilots. During the Cold War, the United States sent hundreds of high-altitude balloons over [[Eastern Bloc]] countries to gather intelligence on their nuclear capabilities, before replacing them with its newer [[Reconnaissance aircraft|spy planes]].
Today, military ballooning is not widely used, as other technologies such as drones and satellite have taken over its main roles.
== Kongming lantern ==
[[Kongming lantern]]s were used as military signalling. The lantern was invented in the late [[Han dynasty]], when [[Han dynasty]] chancellor [[Zhuge Liang]] (Kongming) was surrounded by [[Cao Wei|Wei]] dynasty General [[Sima Yi]] at Pinlo, [[Sichuan]]. Zhuge Liang used paper-made "lanterns," or hot air balloons, to signal the rescue forces. The Kongming lantern became a common military signal in [[China]]
== Early Western balloons ==
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[[File:German balloon corps LCCN2014691634.jpg|thumb|German Balloon Corps, 1910]]
Because of their importance as observation platforms, balloons were defended by [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft guns]], groups of [[machine guns]] for low altitude defence, and patrolling [[fighter aircraft]]. Attacking a balloon was a risky venture but some pilots relished the challenge. The most successful were known as [[balloon
[[File:Airships past and present, together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon (1908) (14595639219).jpg|thumb|Prussian Balloon Corps Barracks at Tegel]]
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== Postwar ==
[[File:Blimp over Nangarhar -a.jpg|thumb|right|Observation balloon over Afghanistan, 2011]]
Genetrix in particular was a program run by the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], and the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] during the 1950s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huntington |first=Tom |date=2023-02-03 |title=Spying with Balloons? It's Been Done Before |url=https://www.historynet.com/balloon-spies/ |website=HistoryNet}}</ref> Disguised as meteorological research, it launched hundreds of [[Surveillance balloon|surveillance balloons]] that flew over [[China]], [[Eastern Europe]], and the [[Soviet Union]] to take photographs and collect [[intelligence]].
Also during the 1950s the [[Fulton surface-to-air recovery system]] (STARS) was developed for retrieving individuals from the ground using aircraft. It used an overall-type harness and a self-inflating balloon with an attached lift line.<ref name="cia">{{cite web|title=Robert Fultons Skyhook and Operation Coldfeet|url=https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/studies-in-intelligence/archives/vol-38-no-5/robert-fultons-skyhook-and-operation-coldfeet/|access-date=1 January 2022|work=Center for the Study of Intelligence|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref>
Since 1996, the United States has invested over $2 billion in Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System or JLENS, which built [[Aerostat|aerostats]] to track low-altitude targets. The project received attention for its balloons accidentally untethering from their moorings and the influence of [[Military–industrial complex|industry lobbyists]] in keeping it alive.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wright |first=Austin |date=2015-10-28 |title=How the Army's $3 billion spy blimp went from boondoggle to laughingstock |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/defense-blimp-flying-loose-215272 |website=POLITICO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Grazier |first=Dan |date=2015-11-19 |title=The JLENS: A Soaring Beacon for Military Reform |url=https://www.pogo.org/analysis/2015/11/jlens-soaring-beacon-for-military-reform |website=Project On Government Oversight}}</ref>
In 2019, the [[United States Southern Command]] commissioned surveillance tests using 25 balloons made by [[Raven Industries]] across six states.<ref name=":42">{{Cite web |last=Hudson |first=Lee |date=2022-07-05 |title=U.S. military's newest weapon against China and Russia: Hot air |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/05/u-s-militarys-newest-weapon-against-china-and-russia-hot-air-00043860 |website=POLITICO}}</ref> Funded under project [[COLD STAR]] (Covert Long-Dwell Stratospheric Architecture) by the Pentagon, the balloons are stealthy, navigate using AI, and can harvest complex data. Initially created to locate narcotic traffickers, they were later transitioned into military service.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Hambling |first=David |date=2023-02-06 |title=America Is Developing Its Own Spy Balloons. Here's Why They're So Useful |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a38005873/pentagon-balloons-strattolite/ |website=Popular Mechanics}}</ref> Tom Karako, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the balloons can serve as communication and datalink nodes, as trucks for [[intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance]] (ISR) to track airborne targets, and as platforms for various weapons.<ref name=":42" />
▲Genetrix in particular was a program run by the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], and the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] during the 1950s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huntington |first=Tom |date=2023-02-03 |title=Spying with Balloons? It's Been Done Before |url=https://www.historynet.com/balloon-spies/ |website=HistoryNet}}</ref> Disguised as meteorological research, it launched hundreds of [[Surveillance balloon|surveillance balloons]] that flew over [[China]], [[Eastern Europe]], and the [[Soviet Union]] to take photographs and collect [[intelligence]]. The balloons were manufactured by the aeronautical division of [[General Mills#Aeronautical Research Division and Electronics Division|General Mills]].<ref>Goodsell, Suzy. [http://www.blog.generalmills.com/2011/08/the-daddy-of-the-balloon-industry/ The “daddy” of the balloon industry], General Mills blog website, August 4, 2011.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130709015146/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=AD0019116 Final Report: Project 85012, Report No. 1227], General Mills, Inc, Mechanical Division, Engineering Research & Development Department, September 4, 1953.</ref> They were about 20 stories tall, carried cameras and other electronic equipment, and reached altitudes ranging from 30,000 to over 60,000 feet, well above the reach of any contemporary fighter plane.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Abel |first=Elie |date=1956-02-08 |title=Dulles hints U.S. will try to curb balloon flights |pages=1,11 |work=The New York Times |quote=The balloons operate between altitudes of 30,000 and 50,000 feet. International law is obscure on the question of who owns the upper air. I don't know how high a balloon has to go before you get out of bounds of sovereignty. Communist China ... charged tonight that the United States was sending military reconnaissance balloons over its territory.}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Burnett |first=Maurice G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Z_ixgEACAAJ |title=Hexagon (KH-9) Mapping Camera Program and Evolution |date=2012 |publisher=Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-937219-08-6 |location=United States of America |quote=The program, code name GENETRIX, called for light-weight plastic balloons carrying optical cameras and electronic equipment to be floated across the U.S.S.R. ... capable of remaining above 60,000 feet ... The cover story ... stated that the project was part of a worldwide meteorological survey. 512 vehicles were launched.}}</ref> Many balloons were blown off course or shot down by Soviet air defense. The overflights also drew protests from the target countries, while the United States defended its action.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Schwarz |first=Jon |date=2023-02-07 |title=U.S. Sent "Weather" Balloons to Spy on China and the Soviet Union in the 1950s |url=https://theintercept.com/2023/02/07/china-balloon-soviet-union/ |website=The Intercept |quote=Asked if the United States feels that they have the right to send these balloons at a certain height anywhere around the globe, Dulles answered, Yes, I think that we feel that way.}}</ref> To increase effectiveness and minimize diplomatic blowback, it replaced the balloons with the newly developed [[Lockheed U-2|U-2 reconnaissance plane]], which was believed to be more difficult to detect.<ref name=":0" />
Around the same time, [[DARPA]] and several defense contractors were working on the Adaptable Lighter-Than-Air (ALTA) program,<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Mark |date=2019-08-02 |title=Pentagon testing mass surveillance balloons across the US |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/02/pentagon-balloons-surveillance-midwest |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> which aimed to make stratospheric balloon navigation more precise and reliable using doppler laser. The mature technology was transferred to the U.S. military in 2019.<ref name=":7" />
▲[[Aerostats]] have been used by US and coalition military forces in [[Iraq War|Iraq]] and in [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/19/AR2009081903712.html |title=High-Tech Balloon to Help Forces Keep Watch |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=20 August 2009}}</ref>
In 2023, suspected [[2023 Chinese balloon incident|
During its [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|
== See also ==
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