World's Largest Airship Inflated to Create Monster 'Stratellite'

Space.com ^ | 5/20/10

[NormsRevenge]

A huge inflatable vehicle as long as a 23-floor skyscraper is tall has become the world's largest airship in its bid to serve as a stratospheric satellite, or "stratellite," according to its developers.

The 235-foot (72 m) long airship, known as the Bullet 580, has a top speed of 80 mph (129 km/h) and can serve as a high-flying sentinel that stays aloft for long periods of time. Getting the new sky behemoth inflated required six hours inside Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Ala.

"Our airships are radically different designs that move beyond the performance limitations of traditional blimps or zeppelins by combining advanced technology with simple construction and the ability to fuel with algae, protecting our environment," said Michael Lawson, chairman and CEO of E-Green Technologies.

The airship is designed to carry payloads of up to 2,000 pounds (907 kg) at altitudes of 20,000 feet (6,096 m). Any cargo aboard the airship would sit within an outer envelope made from a new type of Kevlar, or the same material used to build bulletproof vests. That allows the envelope to have a width just one-sixteenth of an inch thick, but still be 10 times stronger than steel.

Airships have undergone a resurgence of interest as both military and civilian operators eye their cost-efficient operations compared to traditional fixed-wing aircraft. But even the modern record-holder for size dwindles in comparison to airships back in their heyday, such as the 804-foot (245 m) Hindenberg.

E-Green Technologies considers the Bullet 580 as the first in a wave of airships in production for commercial use. It acquired the airship's developers, 21st Century Airships, in November 2009.

[NormsRevenge]

An artist's depiction of the E-Green Technologies Bullet 580 Airship. Credit: Wade Buffington/EGT

[NormsRevenge]

The first inflation of the E-Green Technologies Bullet 580 Airship occurred at Garrett Coliseum
in Montgomery, Alabama, on Monday, May 17, 2010.(Photo: George Schellenger)

[driftdiver]

Soon to be over cities near you.

[NormsRevenge]

Soon to be over cities near you.

hence the kevlar to protect cargo and crew. :-)

[Little Pig]

So, is it rigid or not? I’d love to see a carbon-fiber framed zeppelin floated with helium to provide passenger service again.

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[Travis McGee]

I think they’ll be WAY above small-arms range.

[steveo]

it’s like a giant tylenol without wings!

[Scythian]

You call that an airship? This is an airship ...

[from occupied ga]

2000 lb is a mighty small payload for a vehicle that large.

[edcoil]

At the Tustin Airbase here in CA we still have the hangers used to house the original ones.

Move them here.

[Dallas59]

New UFO pictures to come!

[Cvengr]

Great Godzilla Suppositories, ...now you’ve inflated it, how are you going to get it out?

[1776 Reborn]

"2,000 pounds"

Is this correct? It doesn't seem like much.

[Kartographer]

Why would anyone want to move any business to ‘Kalifornia’?

[Kartographer]

Why would anyone want to move any business to ‘Kalifornia’?

[Little Pig]

I think this was a test inflation to check for structural issues in a controlled environment.

[houeto]

and the ability to fuel with algae, protecting our environment

[Zuben Elgenubi]

2. Stratosphere extends up to 131,000 above the Earth. The average temperature remains steady at -56ø C up to an altitude of 82,000 feet. Above this altitude, the temperature rises. Jet streams there move in a horizontal motion and at lower speeds, perhaps 100 miles per hour. A significant feature of the stratosphere is the ozone layer, which is located between 52,500 ft and 105,000 ft above the Earth. This layer protects the Earth by absorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

If this craft has a top speed of 80mph, going west in the north hemisphere is going to be a chore. Some "bullet". Dollars to doughnuts, some environnmental whacko will complain about the sanctity of the ozone layer.

[UNGN]

The Graf Zepplin was over 800 ft long.

“Worlds Largest” at 235 feet is a bit of hyperbole.

[thefactor]

Tylenol usually has wings?

[houeto]

Ping to aisle 12.

[Little Pig]

Such a pity that thing never flew. Would have been impressive, even if it was a commie machine (they had some really...imaginative aeronautical engineers).

[Sudetenland]

Now that’s a big suppository.

[awestk]

Anyone want to give me odds this project is supported by one, possible multiple, earmarks?

Getting commercial airship production up and running is expected to create hundreds of textile industry jobs in Alabama, according to a statement by E-Green Technologies. It might also lead to aerospace and aviation jobs in Central Florida and Northern California, where the company hopes to set up operational centers.

Textiles and Aerospace. QED.

[ClearCase_guy]

Great Godzilla Suppositories, ...now you’ve inflated it, how are you going to get it out?

The solution to the Deep Horizon oil spill has presented itself.

[Cvengr]

Maybe the coliseum is ballast?

[Army Air Corps]

For an airship that is 235-ft long, that is not a bad payload. My question is how many cubic feet of lifting gas is in the lifting cells. The ratio of lifting gas to weight is the real determining factor of whether this puppy has some serious lfting capability.

[Adams]

[Grut]

New UFO pictures to come!

The focus is about right, but shouldn't the picture be jiggling wildly?

[The Comedian]

235 feet long and it can only carry 2000lbs?

Those don't seem like particularly commercially viable statistics to me.

That's like 4 guys, some beer, and a few rifles to hunt deer from the air with.

The more I think about it, it might actually make a great hunting blind.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[beebuster2000]

i l’ll bite. what the heck is it?

[catman67]

Must be French!

[from occupied ga]

For an airship that is 235-ft long, that is not a bad payload

Irrelevant. My point is that there are a lot of materials/wealth invested in a vehicle with a very small payload. I'v guessing that this thing cost a lot more than a couple of semi's with a payload of 80,000 lb each.

[1776 Reborn]

A few years ago there was an announcement about a company in the SE that was suppose to build airships to move oversize cargo. I haven’t heard a peep about this since.

[Dallas59]

It was a tripod....

[70th Division]

Does it come with batteries?

[NormsRevenge]

I think they’ll be WAY above small-arms range.

—

I sure hope so.

I’m sure this is being looked at by DHS as a border tool, surveillance and such.

Maybe strap a few HeLLfires on ‘em to sexy ‘em up and watch for Mexican Army helis making guns&dope runs..

[valkyry1]

Not enough engine and prop area to get that thing off the ground, not even ‘accidentally’ like Hughes did with the Spruce Goose.

[Army Air Corps]

And those semi’s do not have to lift any of their load off the ground. Also, an airship does not have lifting surfaces (wings) to provide lift. All lift in an airship comes down to the amount of mass that a volume of lifting gas can lift; the more cu-ft of gas, more lift.

[PetroniusMaximus]

“I haven’t heard a peep about this since.”

No one is moving cargo.

[Army Air Corps]

The length does not mean as much as the amount (cu-ft) of helium.

[Scythian]

Honestly, I think it’s an image from a Video game, I’m not sure, but if the Germans had that thing and it flew can you imagine?

[Scythian]

Honestly, I think it’s an image from a Video game, I’m not sure, but if the Germans had that thing and it flew can you imagine?

[atomic conspiracy]

Kalinin K-7 It was actually a great deal smaller than it appears in the retouched propaganda pic but still one of the largest aircraft of its time. The specialty model manufacturer Anigrand has a rather pricey 1/144th scale model of it.

[RegulatorCountry]

Is that a movie prop from the USSR version of Star Wars or something?

Check out the guy standing on the observation deck above the flight deck, and the cannon in the landing gear.

Kind of cool, actually, but I just don’t see it ever leaving the ground.

[RegulatorCountry]

Here’s a great set of CGI images of the thing chasing a Nazi UFO, lol.

http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2009/01/25/russian-flying-fortresses/

[STD]

What’s this anyway? Please provide a link.

[1776 Reborn]

Yeah, but the deer will see you coming for miles? lol

[atomic conspiracy]

It was actually a Russian plane and it did fly. It was about 1/3 as large as it appears in the retouched photo. Here is some more fanciful artwork of the scaled-up K-7, including a dogfight with a UFO.