Barrage balloons, to protect a sensitive target against an air attack, are deployed in a circle around the target to be launched against the direction of attack and held at a given altitude together with explosive charges

摘要

To protect a sensitive target area against air attack, a number of inflatable bodies are deployed around it in a circle. The bodies, when inactive, are secured on or in the ground or on mobile platforms or under water on the water bed. When activated, they float upwards to be restrained by cables at a given altitude. The bodies are balloons, inflated by hydrogen or helium, which can be held in a ready and inflated condition or inflated from a central compressed gas supply when needed. The balloons can be fitted with an explosive charge, triggered by a contact sensor or when the cable is severed by an attack aircraft. The balloons can be launched selectively according to the direction of attack.