TEHRAN – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has destroyed a U.S. military surveillance balloon over Erbil in northern Iraq, Iranian media reported on Sunday, citing the IRGC Aerospace Force.
According to Tasnim news agency, the PSS-T (Persistent Surveillance System – Tethered) surveillance balloon was targeted and destroyed in the early hours of Wednesday morning by IRGC Aerospace Force Shahed-136 drones. The balloon had been deployed in the area surrounding Erbil airport in northern Iraq
The balloon, manufactured for the U.S. military by Lockheed Martin, is 35 meters long and capable of carrying 500 kilograms of various payloads. While no official altitude has been disclosed, some sources place its operational altitude at around 750 meters. The system operates 24 hours a day and can remain airborne for a month before requiring maintenance.
According to Tasnim, the PSS-T carries a combination of sensors, including the Vista F25 radar operating in the X-band with a range of 8 to 60 kilometers depending on target size, and WESCAM-series optical surveillance systems such as the MX15, MX20 and MX25. The radar provides 360-degree coverage while the optical systems combine daylight and thermal cameras, and can carry laser rangefinders and target designators.
Unlike conventional flying balloons, the PSS-T remains fixed at a specific point in the sky, operating like an aerial watchtower. The system dramatically expands the coverage area of optical and radar surveillance systems, playing a crucial role in early warning and detection of cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The destruction of the surveillance balloon, according to Tasnim, is part of a broader strategy by the IRGC and Iran’s armed forces to blind U.S. radar, electronic eavesdropping and surveillance systems around Iran, clearing the airspace of reconnaissance and early warning assets. 
The operation follows previous successful strikes against U.S. radar systems, including the destruction of a strategic radar in Qatar, Patriot and THAAD radar systems, and multiple surveillance radars in southern and western Iran. Several precision strikes have also been conducted in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
The mountainous geography of northern Iraq, combined with the presence of U.S. forces, Turkish forces as a NATO member, and Zionist regime intelligence operatives in the region, makes Iraqi Kurdistan a “highly challenging area,” Tasnim reported. 
The region’s mountainous terrain creates blind spots for ground-based radars, making aerial surveillance systems particularly valuable.
Tasnim noted that the loss of each