Reconnaissance balloon
A reconnaissance balloon is a balloon filled with a gas mixture that is equipped with military reconnaissance technology. Various armies used military airships until after the Second World War , but these were gradually replaced by reconnaissance balloons and actively operated drones .
history
Balloon ascents played since its invention in 1783 by the brothers Montgolfier in the military sector an important role. The balloon was z. B. used as an observation post in the French War. The manned tethered balloons were let into the air on a rope in order to observe the enemy lines and to pass the situation on to their own teams below.
During the First World War , spy balloons were used on the western front. These devices were only used as observation balloons and called field airmen . At the end of the First World War, the balloons were protected and supported by fighter pilots.
Calls
In Germany, balloons used for military purposes have a special tradition. After the division, the Bundeswehr in particular engaged in extensive psychological warfare by repeatedly launching balloons with anti-communist propaganda material in the direction of the GDR during maneuvers by the NVA . Der Spiegel of May 26, 1965 reported in detail about these actions.
The US Army is using various reconnaissance balloons as part of the military mission in Afghanistan . In 2009 a device allegedly equipped with fourteen cameras was deployed over the city center of Kabul for four weeks .
armed forces
The Bundeswehr has captive balloons equipped with cameras. In Afghanistan, they now monitor the area around almost every field camp and base with German soldiers.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rather grab the HB . In: Der Spiegel . No. 22 , 1965 ( online ).
- ↑ Travel Archive - On the Road in Europe. In: zeit.de . Retrieved January 22, 2017 .