The Air Force and Missile Defense Agency last month successfully completed the trial period of the upgraded early warning radar at Thule AB, Greenland, thereby clearing the system for operations. In addition to its roles in tracking space objects and warning of ballistic missile launches, the Thule radar will now be an integral component of the ballistic missile defense system that is designed to protect the US and its friends and allies from missile attack. The radar upgrade took two years to implement. The modifications were primarily related to data-processing hardware and software and included no external hardware changes to the radar. (Thule photo caption by SrA. Cheryl Lui)
The Chinese spy balloon may have popped, but funding to protect against similar threats is inflating, according to the Department of Defense. The high-attitude surveillance balloon that traversed the U.S. in late January and early February prompted last-minute additions to the Pentagon's budget of around $90 million for measures to…