Pentagon is testing mass surveillance balloons across the midwest
The high altitude balloons promise a cheap surveillance platform that could follow multiple cars and boats for extended periods
The US military is conducting wide area surveillance tests across six midwest states using experimental high-altitude balloons, documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reveal.
Up to 25 unmanned solar-powered balloons are being launched from rural South Dakota and drifting 250 miles through an area spanning portions of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri, before concluding in central Illinois.