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balloons utilized the power of the winter jet stream, which travels at a speed of 220 miles per hour (350 km/h), to traverse a distance of 5,000 miles (8,000 km) across the
Pacific Ocean in roughly three days. To maintain a specific altitude, the balloons were equipped with a barometric sensor that would jettison ballast sandbags whenever the balloon descended below 30,000 feet (9,100 m). If the sensor detected an altitude exceeding 38,000 feet (12,000 m), hydrogen would be released from the balloon. This entire mechanism was set into motion 52 minutes post-launch, allowing the balloon to attain its initial altitude. The final sandbag stations were equipped with incendiary bombs, which were dispensed by the same mechanism. Following the final release, the balloon triggered a self-destruction process and dropped an additional bomb.
322:. One balloon cluster reached Beersheba, some 40 kilometers (25 mi) from the Gaza strip. In response to these incendiary attacks, Israel closed the Kerem Shalom border crossing in July 2018, but later reopened it after a few months of relative calm. By the end of 2018, over 7,000 acres of land had been burned as a result of incendiary balloon attack, causing millions of shekels in damages, according to Israeli officials. The fires destroyed forests and agricultural lands, and killed livestock. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attempted to combat these incendiary devices by deploying small, remote-controlled drones with knives on their wings to cut the guide lines of the kites. The method ultimately proved ineffective.
178:
92:
47:
165:, which served as a balloon carrier. To determine the correct fuse settings, the Austrians utilized smaller pilot balloons. At least one bomb landed in the city. However, due to changes in wind direction after launch, most of the balloons missed their target. Some even drifted back over Austrian lines and the launching ship,
225:
targeted at North
America. These balloons, with a diameter of 10 meters (33 feet), were filled with hydrogen and typically transported one bomb weighing 15 kilograms (33 lbs) or alternatively, one 12-kilogram (26 lbs) bomb along with four additional bombs each weighing 5 kilograms (11 lbs). The Fu-Go
229:
The balloons were launched in the winter to take advantage of the more favorable winter jet stream. However this limited their damage potential as wildfires were less likely to catch in winter. The Fu-Go balloons inflicted relatively little damage, except for one fatal incident in which a woman and
325:
Persistent incidents of airborne arson were observed in the years 2019, 2020, and 2021. In August 2020, fuel deliveries to the Gaza Strip were halted once more due to a resurgence of these arson attacks, leading to the closure of the Gaza Strip's sole power station. The most effective strategy
326:
against these balloons was found to be continuous surveillance and manual extinguishing of the fires. In
February 2020, a new laser weapon system known as the Light Blade (or Lahav) was tested operationally along the Gaza border to combat kites and balloons.
313:
By July 2018, incendiary kites and balloons had started 678 fires in Israel, burning 910 hectares (2,260 acres) of woodland, and 610 hectares (1,500 acres) of agricultural lands. Some balloons landed in residential areas of the
117:
suggested using balloons for bombing
British forces in Toulon. In 1807, Denmark tried to build a dirigible to bomb British ships blockading Copenhagen. In 1846 a British board rejected as impractical a bombing design by
892:
657:
302:. Since the beginning of May 2018, helium-filled incendiary balloons have been used alongside the kites. Gazan balloons are devised from helium-filled party balloons or
1097:
207:
launched some 99,142 balloons at
Germany, 53,543 of which were carrying incendiaries, the other 45,599 carrying trailing wires to damage high voltage lines.
1022:
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876:
709:
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based on the Fu-Go balloon. This balloon was intended to disperse an anti-crop agent, but it was not used operationally. The 1954–1955
1083:
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that are strung together, with flaming rags, other incendiary devices, or explosives strung below. The prevailing wind blowing in from the
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157:. Each balloon was equipped with a 24-to-30-pound (11 to 14 kg) bomb, designed to be dropped over the besieged city via a
277:
238:. The deaths of six civilians were the only fatalities caused by fire balloons on American soil during World War II.
146:
78:
attached. The balloon is carried by the prevailing winds to the target area, where it falls or releases its payload.
463:
161:. The majority of the balloons were launched from land, but some were also dispatched from the side-wheel steamer
74:
inflated with a lighter-than-air gas such as hot air, hydrogen, or helium, that has a bomb, incendiary device, or
559:
449:
221:
During the period of 1944-1945, in the midst of World War II, Japan initiated the launch of approximately 9,300
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More than 100 fires were reported in June 2019 alone, with reported damage to at least 4,500 acres of farmland.
438:
727:
17:
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30:
This article is about incendiary balloon use in warfare in general. For the
Japanese WWII weapon, see
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728:"They're calling it the Kite War. How a simple plaything became a potent weapon in the Gaza Strip"
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Palestinian militants preparing incendiary balloons for deployment towards southern Israel
8:
780:
439:
Mikesh, Robert C. "Japan's World War II balloon bomb attacks on North
America." (1973).
222:
216:
182:
31:
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853:
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423:
The Future of Drone Use: Opportunities and
Threats from Ethical and Legal Perspectives
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732:
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252:
75:
37:"Fire balloon" redirects here. For the small unmanned festive hot air balloon, see
1041:"Incendiary balloons from Gaza spark fires in south ahead of Jerusalem flag march"
605:
Directory of U.S. Military
Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4: Undesignated Vehicles
1098:"Israel Deploys 'Light Saber' Anti-Balloon Laser to Shoot Down Threats from Gaza"
988:
960:
896:
295:
154:
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106:
177:
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956:"Beyond kites: 'Fire balloons' increasingly used to set southern Israel ablaze"
927:"Dozens of fires are daily nightmare for frustrated Israelis along Gaza border"
877:"Suspected incendiary balloon lands near kindergarten in Gaza border community"
299:
153:
forces, who were besieging Venice, attempted to deploy approximately 200 paper
710:
Condoms, kites, birthday balloons: 'Silly' Gaza weapons could lead to real war
642:
Beyond kites: 'Fire balloons'; increasingly used to set southern Israel ablaze
1111:
1084:
Beyond kites: 'Fire balloons' increasingly used to set southern Israel ablaze
913:
Beyond kites: 'Fire balloons' increasingly used to set southern Israel ablaze
145:
The first aggressive use of balloons in warfare occurred in 1849 during the
126:
to interest the
British government a few years later were rejected as well.
398:, The Johns Hopkins University Press, F. Stansbury Haydon, page 18–20
200:
27:
Unmanned balloons launched in the hope of starting fires in enemy countries
376:
Military Aircraft, Origins to 1918: An Illustrated History of Their Impact
359:
Military Aircraft, Origins to 1918: An Illustrated History of Their Impact
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after they approached a balloon that had landed at the subsequently named
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231:
162:
95:
38:
585:[Whitby, Simon M. "The potential use of plant pathogens against crops."
55:
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Police investigate if 'suspicious balloon' in Beersheba came from Gaza
91:
804:"Flaming balloon from Gaza lands in preschool near children at play"
518:
Fu-go: The Curious History of Japan's Balloon Bomb Attack on America
46:
984:"Gaza incendiary balloons spark dozens of fires in southern Israel"
890:
As Gaza protests continue, IDF employs new tactics to combat riots
658:
Israel announces Gaza sanctions in response to cross-border blazes
550:, Jeffrey M. Leatherwood, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, page 292
109:, launched the first naval aviation attack in 1849 against Venice
71:
1066:"Israel halves Gaza fishing zone over incendiary balloon fires"
303:
263:, but they were found infeasible because of their inaccuracy.
560:
Attack of the Fire Balloons – Japan's Intercontinental Weapon
776:"'Suspicious' Gaza balloon lands on grounds of empty school"
753:
749:"Kite, balloon terrorism continues scorching Israel's land"
629:
426:, Asser Press - Springer, chapter by Alan McKenna, page 355
158:
102:
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The Moby Dick Project: Reconnaissance Balloons Over Russia
259:
program tested high-altitude balloons for the delivery of
924:
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Flaming Condoms Are the Newest Threat to Southern Israel
454:, Curtis Peebles, Smithsonian Institution Press, page 56
251:
Following World War II, the United States developed the
626:
Kite terror continues to strike Gaza border communities
482:, H. R. Everett & Michael Toscano, MIT, page 247
310:, propels the balloons inland from Gaza into Israel.
682:
Israel's military struggles to battle party balloons
531:
Arakawa, H. "Basic principles of the balloon bomb."
843:, YNET, Ilana Curiel and Matan Tzuri, 30 July 2018
841:In first, incendiary balloon lands in Be'er Sheva
562:, Praise Ojo, War History Online, August 25, 2018
140:
1109:
725:
670:Gaza rocket barrage triggers Israeli air strikes
854:"Israel reopens Gaza cargo crossing after calm"
726:Salah, Hana; Tarnopolsky, Noga (18 June 2018).
395:Military Ballooning During the Early Civil War
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925:Tsuri, Matan; Zituna, Yoav (27 June 2019).
700:, Bloomberg, Alisa Odenheimer, 21 June 2018
353:
351:
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576:, S. Whitby, Palgrave Macmillan, page 167
468:, S. Whitby, Palgrave Macmillan, page 163
133:proposed the use of balloon bombs in the
1010:"Hamas' Wave of Environmental Terrorism"
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479:Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II
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1096:Julian, Hana Levi (11 August 2020).
533:Papers in Meteorology and Geophysics
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1138:Biological anti-agriculture weapons
294:, Palestinians have been launching
266:
24:
535:6.3–4 (1956): 239–243.
278:Palestinian airborne arson attacks
86:
25:
1149:
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953:
831:, Times of Israel 31 January 2018
599:Parsch, Andreas (21 March 2006).
409:Air Power in the Age of Total War
147:First Italian War of Independence
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688:, Mehul Srivastava, 20 June 2018
573:Biological Warfare Against Crops
465:Biological Warfare Against Crops
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105:in 1879, this ship, acting as a
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915:, Times of Israel, 4 June 2018
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379:, Justin D. Murphy, page 9–10
141:Austrian use at Venice in 1849
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747:Tzuri, Matan (10 July 2018).
362:, Justin D. Murphy, page 161
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320:Sdot Negev Regional Council
290:Since the beginning of the
261:weapons of mass destruction
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292:2018 Gaza border protests
115:Joseph-Michel Montgolfier
1012:, September 9, 2020, IDF
589:3.1 (2001): 73–80.
236:Mitchell Recreation Area
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316:Eshkol Regional Council
298:at Israel as a form of
660:, Reuters, 9 July 2018
601:"WS-124A Flying Cloud"
587:Microbes and infection
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607:. Designation-Systems
521:, Ross Coen, page 192
493:"Cherry-Red Shrapnel"
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181:Re-inflated Japanese
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257:WS-124A Flying Cloud
135:Mexican–American War
124:Henry Tracey Coxwell
120:Samuel Alfred Warner
1045:The times of Israel
895:13 May 2018 at the
875:Staff, Toi (2018).
808:The Times of Israel
781:The Times of Israel
672:, BBC, 20 June 2018
223:Fu-Go balloon bombs
50:Balloon launch for
1133:Incendiary weapons
1128:Improvised weapons
982:Gross, Judah Ari.
954:Gross, Judah Ari.
901:The Jerusalem Post
547:Nine from Aberdeen
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217:Fu-Go balloon bomb
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183:Fu-Go balloon bomb
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64:incendiary balloon
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58:, Suffolk, England
32:Fu-Go balloon bomb
733:Los Angeles Times
308:Mediterranean Sea
205:Operation Outward
195:Operation Outward
189:Operation Outward
151:Austrian imperial
52:Operation Outward
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936:16 November
760:12 February
611:10 December
502:3 September
336:Sky lantern
232:Bly, Oregon
163:SMS Vulcano
39:Sky lantern
1112:Categories
1071:Al Jazeera
1051:25 October
342:References
272:Gaza Strip
56:Felixstowe
1023:"i24NEWS"
995:29 August
967:29 August
159:time fuse
131:John Wise
129:In 1847,
113:In 1792,
1118:Balloons
931:Ynetnews
893:Archived
330:See also
318:and the
242:Cold War
814:24 July
788:24 July
304:condoms
199:During
167:Vulcano
98:Vulcano
72:balloon
70:) is a
860:11 May
1123:Bombs
211:Fu-Go
1053:2021
997:2019
969:2019
938:2020
862:2024
816:2018
790:2018
762:2020
754:Ynet
630:Ynet
613:2017
504:2024
103:Pula
96:SMS
66:(or
101:at
62:An
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