Unglamorous though they are, aerostats are carving a substantial niche in the airborne surveillance business. They come in all sizes, from 30 feet long and a volume of 2,500 cu ft, to a massive 242 feet and 590,000 cu ft. Unlike airships, they remain tethered to the ground, but the largest ones can fly as high as 15,000 feet. Here in the Middle East region, the U.S. military has used them extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, use them to monitor borders and airspace.