Barrage balloons

[Dr Jekyll]

When did barrage balloons cease to be used as a defence against low flying aircraft? Also, why? Since they seem to have fallen out of favour just about the time the 'go low to avoid the radar' ploy began to be adopted.

[Gainesy]

RAF Balloon Command was disbanded in January 1945.

Someone, (I think it may have been Wallop Industries) tried to ressurect the idea in the late 1980s but with a modern twist, their idea was for a rocket fired instantly inflated barrage at about 300ft around airfields etc.

Not sure I'd want to be on the airfield as a dozen or so Floggers crashed on it though.:uhoh:

PS Saw some balloons in Israel in the 80s but they were being used as look down radar platforms and comms relays. More like their original WWI role.

[TheOptimist]

^^^

For that to work the aircraft would have to be flying in or over an airfield, and in the case of an attack, planes hurtling into your aerodrome and crashing isn't neccessarily a good thing :}

[N707ZS]

Did they convert some for parachute training or was that a diffrent type of gas balloon.
A long time ago I once watched one going up and down with TA soldiers jumping of a platform underneath.

[Gainesy]

Yes they did, still use them for the first few jumps I think.