Army Explores High-Altitude Platforms for Missile Defense

The U.S. Army plans to use a balloon-like solution to protect the nation from missile attacks, according to Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, commanding general of the Space and Missile Defense Command.

Speaking at a recent Hudson Institute event on Wednesday, Gainey, a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker, said that while high-altitude platforms do not have anything to offer compared to space, commanders agree that high-altitude offers a chance to extend mission command capabilities beyond horizon visualization.

The military branch has issued a request for information for the High-Altitude Platform-Deep Sensing project, seeking compatible radar, electronic intelligence and communication intelligence sensors to form part of the high-altitude solution, Breaking Defense reported.

With the RFI, the Army seeks to build on the success of a system called JLENS, short for Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor. The canceled program is an unmanned airship capable of carrying a 7,000 lb radar system.

Beyond high-altitude platforms, the Army also plans to adopt a multipronged approach to ensure every soldier has long-range sensors capable of defending against adversaries.