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Iraq war logs: US spy balloons blew towards Iran
Hi-tech JLens blimps with secret technology used to detect cruise missiles may have dropped into Tehran's lap
An American military balloon like the JLens blimps An American military balloon like the JLens blimps that broke free from their moorings in Iraq and are last recorded in the war logs as blowing towards Iran. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Losing a balloon is usually a cause for tears, but when it contains high definition cameras and is drifting towards Iran it may prompt more than a good cry. On 24 April 2006 an American JLens balloon broke from its moorings at the UK-run Shaiba logistics base south of Basra, according to an intelligence report in the Iraq war logs.
"Strong gusting SW winds are likely to drive the balloon toward Iran. MTF [more to follow]," said the report. JLens, which stands for joint land elevated netted sensor, is described by its manufacturer, Raytheon, as "providing long endurance (up to 30 days on station), over-the-horizon detection and tracking capabilities required to defeat the proliferating cruise missile threat". Since Iran has no cruise missiles but the US does, the benefits to Iran of the windfall of a JLens landing in its possession are obvious.
In spite of its "more to follow" promise no further information on the balloon's fate is reported in the war logs. What does follow is a second similar incident. On 5 May 2006 another JLens broke from its moorings at Camp Abu Naji in Amara, also close to the Iranian border. It drifted up towards the clouds and once again strong westerly winds blew it towards Iran. The crisis was serious enough for the intelligence report to say an F-18 fighter plane was tasked to try to shoot it down "NFDK" [no further details known]. Again the balloon's fate remains unclear.
Worse was to come on 10 October 2006 when controllers in Basra lost a Predator drone, an unmanned surveillance plane, when it was on a flight path that led to the Iranian border. "Air traffic control tracked the UAV as it entered Iranian airspace for approx 8 mins to a depth of 5.5 miles," the report says. Three minutes later they regained control and steered it back to Iraq.
In April 2006 Britain had its security loss. Documents fell out of a Puma helicopter that was flying over Baghdad with the doors open, as is normal so that the machine-gunner could watch the city below. They included several sets of codes, according to an intelligence report headed "compromised classified information". As a result, it goes on, codes, signal frequencies and other secret data all had to be changed.
Iraq war logs: US spy balloons blew towards Iran | World news | guardian.co.uk
Hi-tech JLens blimps with secret technology used to detect cruise missiles may have dropped into Tehran's lap
An American military balloon like the JLens blimps An American military balloon like the JLens blimps that broke free from their moorings in Iraq and are last recorded in the war logs as blowing towards Iran. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Losing a balloon is usually a cause for tears, but when it contains high definition cameras and is drifting towards Iran it may prompt more than a good cry. On 24 April 2006 an American JLens balloon broke from its moorings at the UK-run Shaiba logistics base south of Basra, according to an intelligence report in the Iraq war logs.
"Strong gusting SW winds are likely to drive the balloon toward Iran. MTF [more to follow]," said the report. JLens, which stands for joint land elevated netted sensor, is described by its manufacturer, Raytheon, as "providing long endurance (up to 30 days on station), over-the-horizon detection and tracking capabilities required to defeat the proliferating cruise missile threat". Since Iran has no cruise missiles but the US does, the benefits to Iran of the windfall of a JLens landing in its possession are obvious.
In spite of its "more to follow" promise no further information on the balloon's fate is reported in the war logs. What does follow is a second similar incident. On 5 May 2006 another JLens broke from its moorings at Camp Abu Naji in Amara, also close to the Iranian border. It drifted up towards the clouds and once again strong westerly winds blew it towards Iran. The crisis was serious enough for the intelligence report to say an F-18 fighter plane was tasked to try to shoot it down "NFDK" [no further details known]. Again the balloon's fate remains unclear.
Worse was to come on 10 October 2006 when controllers in Basra lost a Predator drone, an unmanned surveillance plane, when it was on a flight path that led to the Iranian border. "Air traffic control tracked the UAV as it entered Iranian airspace for approx 8 mins to a depth of 5.5 miles," the report says. Three minutes later they regained control and steered it back to Iraq.
In April 2006 Britain had its security loss. Documents fell out of a Puma helicopter that was flying over Baghdad with the doors open, as is normal so that the machine-gunner could watch the city below. They included several sets of codes, according to an intelligence report headed "compromised classified information". As a result, it goes on, codes, signal frequencies and other secret data all had to be changed.
Iraq war logs: US spy balloons blew towards Iran | World news | guardian.co.uk
