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Advanced / Transformational Technology

USAF Added Funds for Stratospheric Balloon Detection in OTH-B Request

Frank Wolfe

Thursday, March 23rd, 2023

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USAF Added Funds for Stratospheric Balloon Detection in OTH-B Request

Soldier in glasses of virtual reality. The concept of the future.

The U.S. Air Force fiscal 2024 request of $429 million in research and development for Over-the-Horizon Backscatter radar (OTH-B) includes an add-on for the detection of stratospheric balloons and unidentified aerial phenomena. Last year's OTH-B appropriation was $12 million for theTactical Multi-Mission Over the Horizon Radar (TACMOR) to be based on the island of Palau to allow U.S. Indo-Pacific Command "to close gaps in surveillance coverage in key regions of the Pacific area of interest to the United States and…

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