Last year the world was shocked by several incidents of air balloons from China that were allegedly spying on the airspace of the United States were shot down by fighter jets. The wreckage of the balloon and the equipment used have been successfully collected by the U.S. military with information about it kept secret. China immediately denied this claim saying it was just a stray meteorological balloon.
Because spying incidents using balloons are expected to happen again, DARPA has started the Capturing Aerial Payloads to Unleash Reliable Exploitation (CAPTURE) program to capture balloons without having to shoot them down. With CAPTURE used electronic equipment can be studied more carefully before it is destroyed by falling from a height of thousands of feet.
It will also be a cheaper solution than shooting down balloons using missiles worth tens of thousands of dollars. But this CAPTURE project will face various difficulties because it has to operate at an altitude of 70,000 feet and capture the balloon without damage. Interested companies must submit their proposals to DARPA by September 21, 2023.
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