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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Army surveillance balloons spotted over Tucson raise privacy concerns from advocates
An Aerostar high-altitude balloon as seen from the ground in Tucson. Photo by Dugan Meyer The U.S. Army and a private company are flying high-altitude surveillance balloons over the Tucson area, raising concerns among privacy advocates. Multiple high-altitude balloons have been spotted over the Tucson and Sierra Vista area for more than a week, with one balloon in particular staying over the area longer than any of the others. That balloon, with the registration number N257TH, has made headlines in the past. The balloon is owned by South Dakota aerospace company Aerostar, and in 2023 was mistaken for a Chinese spy balloon. The balloon is actually part of Aerostar's 'Thunderhead' balloon system, which has been doing multiple tests with the military and other contractors across the nation and around the globe. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'It is a technology that should not and constitutionally cannot be applied to the American people,' Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union, told the Arizona Mirror. 'Even testing for eventual overseas use in legitimate combat theaters raises a lot of questions about what kind of data is being collected.' Aerostar would not answer specific questions about what type of testing was being done. The company referred additional questions to the U.S. Department of Defense and the Army, neither of which responded to multiple requests for comment. Aerostar confirmed that the flights were not connected to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol or Department of Homeland Security programs, 'however high-altitude balloons would be ideal for that type of mission,' Aerostar Culture and Communications Director Anastasia Quanbeck said in an email to the Mirror. 'By leveraging directional wind patterns at high altitudes, Aerostar's Thunderhead Balloon Systems offer groundbreaking capabilities for navigation and persistence over areas of interest,' she said. 'Aerostar Thunderhead Balloon Systems are capable of supporting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, as well as extending communications across wide distances, environmental monitoring, earth observation, and scientific research.' Quanbeck said she was not able to discuss the work the company does with the DOD or the Army. The 'Thunderhead' balloons are similar to 'spy balloons' that have made international headlines in recent years. They fly between 60,000 to 100,000 feet, twice the height of a commercial airliner, and can carry much larger payloads than a conventional drone or other small high altitude spy-planes. After Chinese spy-balloons made incursions into United States airspace in 2023, it was reported that the Army would begin pursuing a similar program to launch in 2025. Aerostar had previously been used in testing exercises. In the past, Aerostar has used blimps as surveillance systems. They were originally used for surveillance in combat zones overseas, then in 2012 were used along the border and still are often spotted at the border today. However, the systems that have been seen floating over southern Arizona in recent weeks have key differences from the blimps: they sit higher in the sky, are much larger, can stay afloat for much longer and can carry larger payloads. As reported by The War Zone, the Army has been researching using high-altitude balloons to deploy drone swarms into enemy territory far above the reach of enemy defenses. But the balloons over southern Arizona raise questions about privacy. In 2021, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Baltimore Police Department's use of an aerial surveillance program that recorded virtually all of the city for 12 hours a day for six months was unconstitutional. Stanley thinks that case is pertinent when talking about what may be going on in Arizona. 'I think, if anything, it becomes more sensitive when the military is doing it,' Stanley said. Wide-area persistent surveillance or wide-area airborne surveillance is a technique that got its start in early days of the Iraq war but later would find itself in the hands of police. The technology has evolved from being very heavy but is now light enough to fit onto blimps and balloons. Aerostar and the military have not elaborated on what systems are aboard the balloons over the Tucson area, but Stanley said that systems like the ones Aerostar is developing could be used to deploy persistent surveillance systems, ultimately surveilling entire communities for days on end. The Thunderhead system boasts the ability to stay afloat for up to 30 days, and Aerostar has tested it along with its Zephyr platform, a new type of unmanned aircraft that also flies at high altitudes and has been tested in Arizona. That aircraft can stay in the air for up to two months. The balloon also could be carrying a variety of equipment, such as radar, lidar, GPS or cameras, Stanley said. While much of this equipment could be installed on a traditional aircraft, the balloon can stay afloat over an area at a higher altitude for longer durations, allowing for more persistent surveillance of an area, something that Stanley said can be a problem for everyday Americans. 'Following someone around for long periods of time reveals things about their life,' Stanley said. 'How often they go to the bar, associations, who they are hanging out with — and that is too much power for the government or anyone else to have over individuals.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Irish Independent
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Churchill Forge set to welcome New York based musician and Clare harpist this Friday, May 9
The show is organised by the team at 'nonfaction' and it will kick off at 8pm and run until 10pm. Paul, a musician based in New York, is known for his uncanny ability to bring together classical guitar, baroque chorales, 808s, and Irish traditional melodies and turn it all into a sound his own. A prolific artist, he has released four albums in the past four years. Between 2023's Always Almost Home 'meshing 90s pop and Bach' (MPR) and the 'hidden pop gem' (Irish Times) of 2022ʼs Thunderhead, he experimented with minimal electronic production and folk. As well as being a regular fixture at the local Irish Trad sessions in NYC, he is a singer, guitar player, and aspiring Irish Flute player; as well as this, for the past two-and-a-half years, he has also played a weekly gig in Manhattan performing Bach on classical guitar. Clare harpist Ashling meanwhile is just as accomplished. She is a highly acclaimed traditional Irish musician and composer from who is regularly praised as one of the finest harpists in the country. She holds eight All-Ireland titles and has performed internationally across Europe, the U.S., Australia, and China. She has academic accolades including First Class Honours degrees in Irish Music and Education, and she teaches harp and concertina widely, including at major universities and festivals. She has worked with several bands such as 3 on the Bund, Merfolk, and Harpanno, and her 2021 debut album Aistear received critical acclaim. Aisling has collaborated on high-profile projects, including work with Aideen Barry, Tolu Makay, and poet Moya Cannon. She has been nominated for two RTÉ Folk Awards in 2022 and continues to compose and perform internationally. She is currently working on her second album and touring with storyteller Aindrais de Staic. If you want a chance to see these two in action right here in Kerry, tickets are on sale via the link HERE and they will cost €15 (plus a booking fee). This event is supported by Kerry County Council through their Arts Act Grant.
