A New Age for Aerostats

Both the U.S. and its allies have increasingly relied upon civilian transport aircraft, such as the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), to augment organic military airlift. However, the widespread proliferation of Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) poses a significant threat to unprotected civilian aircraft. Previous research focused on installing the military's counter-MANPADS systems, such as Infrared Countermeasures (IRCM), on civilian aircraft. However, the unique CRAF operating environment makes such an aircraft-centric approach economically unfeasible. Instead, future counter-MANPADS programs should shift focus from protecting individual aircraft to an area-wide system that protects entire airfields. Aerostats possess unique capabilities that enable them to provide an area-wide counter-MANPADS defense using existing IRCM technology.