Taliban seize airship and threaten world
Last week the Taliban Interior Ministry in Kabul announced that
they had arrested a man in Afghanistan who was in the process
of selling something called the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile
Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) to Iran.
Apparently, the Taliban wanted the JLENS for themselves
so they seized the system and locked up the seller
(
https://bit.ly/3MCtobw).
JLENS is an aerostat carrying a very sophisticated radar system.
It is used to detect missiles, drones, aircraft, boats, and ground
vehicles. The JLENS surveillance radar scans in all directions and
can provide constant, 360-degree coverage extending over 300
miles.
During tests conducted by its manufacturer, Raytheon, the JLENS
MTS-B electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor tracked numerous
targets with its infrared (IR) sensor. Video from the MTS-B was
passed through the aerostat's tether, enabling operators to watch
a live feed of trucks, trains, and cars from dozens of miles away.
While the MTS-B visually tracked targets, the JLENS
simultaneously tracked the surface targets with its integrated radar
system.
There has been some controversy in recent years about the long-term
utility of JLENS following an incident in which one of the aerostats
broke loose from its tether and drifted from Maryland into
Pennsylvania. Nonetheless, there has been general consensus that
the radar system and other sensors are extremely capable and should
be retained. In particular, the capacity of the systems to detect
incoming cruise missiles, flying at low altitudes is exceptional.
Each JLENS aerostat costs almost $200 million. The program overall
costs billions.
We developed the JLENS because the United States did not have
a reliable capability to detect low flying threats like cruise missiles.
Our other systems were not sufficiently advanced or capable. What
the systems on the aerostat in the JLENS program gave us were
capabilities no one else on the planet possessed.
We have largely backed away from the idea of using large numbers
of JLENS aerostats, because of the issues associated with having the
vehicles tethered and keeping them from getting away. All of the
systems carried by the aerostats remain in use on other aircraft
however and represent some of the most advanced technology
we have. That technology is now in the possession of the Taliban.
Precisely why the Taliban intervened to stop the pending sale of
JLENS to the Iranians remains unclear. Presumably, they either want
the system for themselves or they intend to sell it to the highest
bidder and pocket the cash. What is clear though is that we will
exercise no control of any kind over what happens. The system
may be used by the Taliban to detect future “over the horizon”
attacks by the U.S. military. It may be sold to Communist China,
reverse engineered, and mass-produced.
