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The proliferation of cruise missiles and associated components, combined with a falling technology curve for biological, chemical, or even nuclear agents, is creating longer-term hazards on a whole new scale. Intelligence agencies and analysts believe the threat of U.S. cities coming under cruise missile attack from ships off the coast is real, sophisticated and evolving. Meanwhile, the July-August 2005 issue of Air Defense Artillery Magazine discusses experiences in Operation Iraqi Freedom which showed that even conventional cruise missiles could have important tactical uses in the hands of a determined enemy.
Aerial sensors are preferred against low-flying cruise missiles, because they lack the range/horizon limitations of ground-based systems. The bad news is that keeping planes in the air all the time is very expensive, and the aircraft themselves aren't cheap. The primary challenge for theater and national cruise missile defense, therefore, is the development of a reliable, affordable, long-flying look-down platform to detect, track and identify incoming missiles and support over-the-horizon engagements in a timely manner.
Hence JLENS. It ain't your grandfather's barrage balloon...
Pretty neat. However, at the end of the day it's still a glorified (very much so) barrage balloon. BTW, who the hell do they hire to write that stuff? I never saw such a load of verbal gobbldeygook in my life. I suspect the military would save a ton of money and get more support if their tech writers would write in plain English.
Well, structurally, you might be right. But Thaddeus Lowe wasn't in the barrage balloon business, and that's much more what it's about. And of course, more data doesn't always lead to wiser decisions. From the linked article:
McClellan did have a penchant for getting the willies, though.