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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.
311:. 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.
167:
81:
36:
154:, 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,
214:
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
218:
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
314:
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
315:
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.
302:
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
106:
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
881:
646:
291:. 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
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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.
1011:
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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
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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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146:. 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
266:
227:. The deaths of six civilians were the only fatalities caused by fire balloons on American soil during World War II.
135:
67:
attached. The balloon is carried by the prevailing winds to the target area, where it falls or releases its payload.
452:
150:. The majority of the balloons were launched from land, but some were also dispatched from the side-wheel steamer
63:
inflated with a lighter-than-air gas such as hot air, hydrogen, or helium, that has a bomb, incendiary device, or
548:
438:
210:
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.
427:
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This article is about incendiary balloon use in warfare in general. For the
Japanese WWII weapon, see
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717:"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:
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428:
Mikesh, Robert C. "Japan's World War II balloon bomb attacks on North
America." (1973).
211:
205:
171:
20:
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842:
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The Future of Drone Use: Opportunities and
Threats from Ethical and Legal Perspectives
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40:
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26:"Fire balloon" redirects here. For the small unmanned festive hot air balloon, see
1030:"Incendiary balloons from Gaza spark fires in south ahead of Jerusalem flag march"
594:
Directory of U.S. Military
Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 4: Undesignated Vehicles
1087:"Israel Deploys 'Light Saber' Anti-Balloon Laser to Shoot Down Threats from Gaza"
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945:"Beyond kites: 'Fire balloons' increasingly used to set southern Israel ablaze"
916:"Dozens of fires are daily nightmare for frustrated Israelis along Gaza border"
866:"Suspected incendiary balloon lands near kindergarten in Gaza border community"
288:
142:
forces, who were besieging Venice, attempted to deploy approximately 200 paper
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Condoms, kites, birthday balloons: 'Silly' Gaza weapons could lead to real war
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Beyond kites: 'Fire balloons'; increasingly used to set southern Israel ablaze
1100:
1073:
Beyond kites: 'Fire balloons' increasingly used to set southern Israel ablaze
902:
Beyond kites: 'Fire balloons' increasingly used to set southern Israel ablaze
134:
The first aggressive use of balloons in warfare occurred in 1849 during the
115:
to interest the
British government a few years later were rejected as well.
387:, The Johns Hopkins University Press, F. Stansbury Haydon, page 18–20
189:
16:
Unmanned balloons launched in the hope of starting fires in enemy countries
365:
Military Aircraft, Origins to 1918: An Illustrated History of Their Impact
348:
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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220:
151:
84:
27:
574:[Whitby, Simon M. "The potential use of plant pathogens against crops."
44:
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Police investigate if 'suspicious balloon' in Beersheba came from Gaza
80:
793:"Flaming balloon from Gaza lands in preschool near children at play"
507:
Fu-go: The Curious History of Japan's Balloon Bomb Attack on America
35:
973:"Gaza incendiary balloons spark dozens of fires in southern Israel"
879:
As Gaza protests continue, IDF employs new tactics to combat riots
647:
Israel announces Gaza sanctions in response to cross-border blazes
539:, Jeffrey M. Leatherwood, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, page 292
98:, launched the first naval aviation attack in 1849 against Venice
60:
1055:"Israel halves Gaza fishing zone over incendiary balloon fires"
292:
252:, but they were found infeasible because of their inaccuracy.
549:
Attack of the Fire Balloons – Japan's Intercontinental Weapon
765:"'Suspicious' Gaza balloon lands on grounds of empty school"
742:
738:"Kite, balloon terrorism continues scorching Israel's land"
618:
415:, Asser Press - Springer, chapter by Alan McKenna, page 355
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91:
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The Moby Dick Project: Reconnaissance Balloons Over Russia
248:
program tested high-altitude balloons for the delivery of
913:
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Flaming Condoms Are the Newest Threat to Southern Israel
443:, Curtis Peebles, Smithsonian Institution Press, page 56
240:
Following World War II, the United States developed the
615:
Kite terror continues to strike Gaza border communities
471:, H. R. Everett & Michael Toscano, MIT, page 247
299:, propels the balloons inland from Gaza into Israel.
671:
Israel's military struggles to battle party balloons
520:
Arakawa, H. "Basic principles of the balloon bomb."
832:, YNET, Ilana Curiel and Matan Tzuri, 30 July 2018
830:In first, incendiary balloon lands in Be'er Sheva
551:, Praise Ojo, War History Online, August 25, 2018
129:
1098:
714:
659:Gaza rocket barrage triggers Israeli air strikes
843:"Israel reopens Gaza cargo crossing after calm"
715:Salah, Hana; Tarnopolsky, Noga (18 June 2018).
384:Military Ballooning During the Early Civil War
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914:Tsuri, Matan; Zituna, Yoav (27 June 2019).
689:, Bloomberg, Alisa Odenheimer, 21 June 2018
342:
340:
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565:, S. Whitby, Palgrave Macmillan, page 167
457:, S. Whitby, Palgrave Macmillan, page 163
122:proposed the use of balloon bombs in the
999:"Hamas' Wave of Environmental Terrorism"
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468:Unmanned Systems of World Wars I and II
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1085:Julian, Hana Levi (11 August 2020).
522:Papers in Meteorology and Geophysics
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1127:Biological anti-agriculture weapons
283:, Palestinians have been launching
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13:
524:6.3–4 (1956): 239–243.
267:Palestinian airborne arson attacks
75:
14:
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820:, Times of Israel 31 January 2018
588:Parsch, Andreas (21 March 2006).
398:Air Power in the Age of Total War
136:First Italian War of Independence
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677:, Mehul Srivastava, 20 June 2018
562:Biological Warfare Against Crops
454:Biological Warfare Against Crops
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368:, Justin D. Murphy, page 9–10
130:Austrian use at Venice in 1849
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736:Tzuri, Matan (10 July 2018).
351:, Justin D. Murphy, page 161
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309:Sdot Negev Regional Council
279:Since the beginning of the
250:weapons of mass destruction
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281:2018 Gaza border protests
104:Joseph-Michel Montgolfier
1001:, September 9, 2020, IDF
578:3.1 (2001): 73–80.
225:Mitchell Recreation Area
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305:Eshkol Regional Council
287:at Israel as a form of
649:, Reuters, 9 July 2018
590:"WS-124A Flying Cloud"
576:Microbes and infection
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596:. Designation-Systems
510:, Ross Coen, page 192
482:"Cherry-Red Shrapnel"
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170:Re-inflated Japanese
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246:WS-124A Flying Cloud
124:Mexican–American War
113:Henry Tracey Coxwell
109:Samuel Alfred Warner
1034:The times of Israel
884:13 May 2018 at the
864:Staff, Toi (2018).
797:The Times of Israel
770:The Times of Israel
661:, BBC, 20 June 2018
212:Fu-Go balloon bombs
39:Balloon launch for
1122:Incendiary weapons
1117:Improvised weapons
971:Gross, Judah Ari.
943:Gross, Judah Ari.
890:The Jerusalem Post
536:Nine from Aberdeen
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206:Fu-Go balloon bomb
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172:Fu-Go balloon bomb
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53:incendiary balloon
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47:, Suffolk, England
21:Fu-Go balloon bomb
722:Los Angeles Times
297:Mediterranean Sea
194:Operation Outward
184:Operation Outward
178:Operation Outward
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925:16 November
749:12 February
600:10 December
491:3 September
325:Sky lantern
221:Bly, Oregon
152:SMS Vulcano
28:Sky lantern
1101:Categories
1060:Al Jazeera
1040:25 October
331:References
261:Gaza Strip
45:Felixstowe
1012:"i24NEWS"
984:29 August
956:29 August
148:time fuse
120:John Wise
118:In 1847,
102:In 1792,
1107:Balloons
920:Ynetnews
882:Archived
319:See also
307:and the
231:Cold War
803:24 July
777:24 July
293:condoms
188:During
156:Vulcano
87:Vulcano
61:balloon
59:) is a
849:11 May
1112:Bombs
200:Fu-Go
1042:2021
986:2019
958:2019
927:2020
851:2024
805:2018
779:2018
751:2020
743:Ynet
619:Ynet
602:2017
493:2024
92:Pula
85:SMS
55:(or
90:at
51:An
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