A tethered blimp will be raised early next year in Singapore to increase surveillance in both the maritime and aviation industries.
The blimp will sail high above the skyline of the beautiful city-state being held down by fortified ropes. At a height of 600m above the ground, it will be twice as high as Singapore’s tallest building. The so-called aerostat will be unmanned and helium filled and will also be the size of an Olympic size pool.
The blimp which will operate 24 hours a day will also be capable of monitoring as far as 200 kilometers, keeping the island country safe.
The surveillance in Singapore is being stepped up after the increase in piracy within south-east asia, it has been reported that five out of six vessels seized worldwide occur in this area. Along with the disappearance of flight MH370 in March of this year is has pushed the Singaporean government into better monitoring of air and sea space within their region.
With Singapore being one of the largest transhipment hubs in the world, it increases their threat – therefore taking extra steps to protect themselves is being taken seriously.
It appears that locals are not too happy with the idea of a massive balloon floating above and watching them. A reader of the on-line Straights Times commented “being watched everyday… where’s our privacy?”.
The Singapore government insists that the blimp is purely for surveillance and is a protector in the sky.
Image and Source credits: bloomberg, http://en.ria.ru
