Balloons to protect Turkey from border threats
With violence frequently spilling over from neighboring Syria, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are stepping up security along its lengthy border with observation balloons set to monitor the unstable border region while a concrete wall is being constructed.
Starting in October, observation balloons, resistant to light weapons fire, will be deployed by the army along the border and will feed uninterrupted reconnaissance data to the military, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The observation balloons will be equipped with high-definition cameras and radar systems and will be able to fly some 2,000 meters above the area along the border, transmitting reconnaissance data to observation stations on the ground.
The balloons, which were developed domestically by Turkish engineers, will also be employed by the Turkish navy and the Maroon Berets, an elite unit of the army deployed for high-risk operations.
The balloons will primarily be used as an early warning system guarding the country from potential attacks from Syria.
Since 2011, when an uprising against the Bashar Assad regime evolved into an all-out civil war, Turkey has been facing multiple threats as Syria's northern neighbor, namely, the Daesh terrorist group, which used the lengthy border to its advantage.
Starting in October, observation balloons, resistant to light weapons fire, will be deployed by the army along the border and will feed uninterrupted reconnaissance data to the military, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The observation balloons will be equipped with high-definition cameras and radar systems and will be able to fly some 2,000 meters above the area along the border, transmitting reconnaissance data to observation stations on the ground.
The balloons, which were developed domestically by Turkish engineers, will also be employed by the Turkish navy and the Maroon Berets, an elite unit of the army deployed for high-risk operations.
The balloons will primarily be used as an early warning system guarding the country from potential attacks from Syria.
Since 2011, when an uprising against the Bashar Assad regime evolved into an all-out civil war, Turkey has been facing multiple threats as Syria's northern neighbor, namely, the Daesh terrorist group, which used the lengthy border to its advantage.