October 05, 2007
Blimps of War
Yep, you read that right, and no, Rosie O Donnell didn't have a change of heart.
Via MNC-I Press Release.
KALSU, Iraq - A helium blimp provided Coalition Forces the viewpoint to see four insurgents responsible for a roadside bomb attack Sept. 30.The camera located inside the AEROSTAT, a helium blimp used for aerial surveillance, allowed forces to identify the location of the men who attacked a Coalition convoy southeast of Iskandariyah.
"This engagement was tailor-made for the AEROSTAT," said 1st Lt. Vitaly Gelfgat of Princeton, N.J. "We saw the blast, found the insurgents responsible and then responded with the necessary force."
This was the second kinetic action that was initiated by AEROSTAT surveillance.
"The mission of the AEROSTAT is to monitor roads, impact areas, provide battle damage assessments and give constant aerial surveillance for defensive purposes," said Sgt. Reuben Carrington of Cabot, Ark.
This multi-million dollar blimp is equipped with a specialized camera that allows its user to see a full 360 degrees with distances ranging from 10 meters to several kilometers 24 hours a day.
I hope that this does not mean that the US response to the insurgents is to send out soldiers as decoys and then respond. I would seem better to use the techniques of WWI in the area and do night-killer patrols. If the decoy method is all they are doing then things are indeed bad.
Posted by: David Caskey at October 5, 2007 10:04 AMHah...actually, I was going to say "everything old is new again".
Posted by: kat-missouri at October 5, 2007 04:27 PMDavid, I may be dense, but where in the post does it mention sending soldiers out purely as decoys?
Ya know, the Coalition convoy that was attacked might have been something other than a decoy, like, say, perhaps, a real convoy transporting something to where it was needed?
Clearly, you're highly predisposed to automatically believe the worst about our armed forces.
Posted by: C-C-G at October 5, 2007 08:38 PMPoor insurgents,
no where to run, nowhere to hide.
Posted by: Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr at October 5, 2007 09:24 PM
