Singapore to deploy tethered surveillance balloon

Singapore will deploy a huge tethered surveillance balloon to boost its maritime and air security, the defence ministry announced.

The helium-filled "aerostat" would be equipped with radar equipment that can spot threats as far as 200km away, the ministry said on its website.

"It will be deployed sufficiently high enough so as to have a clear line of sight over Singapore's air and sea space," the ministry said.

"Existing systems are facing increasing constraints, mainly due to the construction of taller buildings which prevent the systems [from] establishing a clear line of sight."

The Straits Times reported that the balloon would be able to scan up to Melaka in Malaysia for stray aircraft as well as detect small boats coming from Pekanbaru in Indonesia.

The US-made, 55-metre blimp can operate at a height of up to 600 metres. The ministry did not reveal the project's cost.