US testing surveillance balloons that proved effective in war zones along Mexico border

Floating 2,500-feet above scrub-covered U.S. ranchland near the Mexico border, the payload of high-tech cameras onboard a balloon being used by the Border Patrol can easily see a cluster of reporters and the make, model and color of their vehicles a couple of miles away. In Iraq or Afghanistan, where the technology has already proven effective at spotting attackers, such balloons provide surveillance around bases. U.S. officials think they could be equally helpful in tracking drug smugglers and illegal immigrants along a rugged stretch of the Rio Grande that doesn’t have any segments of border fence. The Border Patrol is testing two blimp-shaped, helium-filled balloons, which are on loan from the Defense Department. The 72-foot model can stay airborne for at least 14 days. While the aerostats can’t cover nearly the range of a helicopter or drone, they are far less expensive to operate and can be moved if needed. Since the testing began Aug. 10, the balloons have already assisted agents patrolling the area. “We have seen some successes off of the aerostat in the testing phase,” Mendiola said, declining to give details. On the border, agents already employ an arsenal of surveillance tools that includes airplanes, helicopters, drones, boats, ground-based sensors and agents equipped with night-vision goggles...more