U.S. Army's JLENS Aerostat Radar System demos NORAD interoperability

JLENS Capabilities

U.S. Army's Missile-Fighting Radar-blimp Achieves Critical Milestone

"The lab tests proved that information from JLENS can be converted into a format that can be used by NORAD's command and control system," said Raytheon's Dave Gulla, vice president of Integrated Defense Systems' Global Integrated Sensors business area. "With JLENS providing data to NORAD, our military will have a more accurate picture of what is flying in the National Capital Region's airspace, and be able to identify slow-and-low flying threats such as cruise missiles and drones."
One JLENS system is scheduled to be strategically emplaced at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., later this year to help defend the National Capital Region from airborne threats.  It will be under the control of NORAD-U.S. Northern Command, and operated by soldiers of the U.S. Army's A Battery, 3rd Air Defense Artillery.
JLENS is a system of two aerostats, or tethered blimps, that float 10,000 feet in the air. The helium filled aerostats, each nearly as long as a football field, carry powerful radars that can protect a territory roughly the size of Texas from airborne threats. JLENS provides 360-degrees of defensive radar coverage and can detect and track moving objects like cruise missiles, drones and airplanes from up to 340 miles away.

JLENS: Co-ordinating Cruise Missile Defense – And More

Raytheon Company :Soldiers certified to protect Metro D.C. from cruise missiles, drones with Raytheon's JLENS radar blimp

 2014 NC Posture Statement_Final_HASC.pdf

Our ability to detect, track and engage airborne threats, including emerging cruise missile technology, was the principal focus of our recently completed Defense Design for the National Capital Region. Next winter we will begin a three-year Join t Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor (JLENS) operational exercise at Aberdeen Proving Ground, establishing a new capability to detect and engage cruise missiles at range before they threaten the Washington D.C. area. NORAD will combine JLENS capabilities with the Stateside Affordable Radar System into the existing air defense structure. These capabilities can point to a next generation air surveillance capability for homeland cruise missile defense.

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spendergast: US Army places JLENS Aerostat radar in strategic readiness