Posted on 06/16/2010 7:54:07 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
The United States Army has ordered a huge hybrid airship longer than a football field to watch over battlefields in Afghanistan by the end of 2011, according to the airship's builder Northrop Grumman Corporation.
The company has received a $517 million Army contract to build up to three of the huge military airships, called the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicles (LEMV). Such airships would serve as surveillance stations at 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) above sea level and could stay on watch for as long as three weeks at a time.
A LEMV would also have the capability to carry a 2,500-pound (1,113 kg) payload, and still zip along at 92 mph (148 kph) if necessary. The 302-foot (92-meter) airship would typically have a cruising speed of just 34 mph (54.7 kph).
That represents a staying power for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance over a longer period of time than what today's robotic drones such as the Predator or Reaper can provide. [7 sci-fi weapons today.]
"Our offering supports the Army's Joint Military Utility Assessment that this disruptive innovation must meet the Army's objective of a persistent unblinking stare while providing increased operational utility to battlefield commanders," said Alan Metzger, Northrop Grumman LEMV program manager.
A heavy-lift configuration could transform the LEMV into a sky transport that carries up to 15,000 pounds (6,803 kg).
The U.S. Army has also conducted military airship field trials for a tethered balloon that would carry radar to help weapon systems track and shoot down cruise missiles.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
You would bet wrong. 20K ft is 4 miles.
Largest round in this house is .50BMG. I paid the price of a small Kia for the scope and subsequent mods by the factory.
One mile, if I hand it to someone that can actually see, and we use the $5.00/round Arizona Ammunition precision rounds that I stocked up on back when they were only $5.00.
Russian SAMs might hit it, but Kadaffi won't vouch for them. He wanted surface to airplane missiles, and the Soviets kept sending him surface to air missiles.
There's a reason they aren't called hittles.
/johnny
Kind of off topic, but I sometimes wonder if it would be possible to rebuild The Hindenberg with modern materials and helium, and use it as a luxury touring vehicle. It’s probably commercially impossible, but it would be immensely cool.
Very cool. I read they used balloons in the civil war.
I wouldn’t be worried about getting shot down. First, achmed would have to use a radar, or be one hell of a shot (somebody please enlighten me on how the Stinger locks on, but I bet its ‘active’ and easy to spot). Second, why on earth are we to believe that the story lists the correct ceiling. I remember something as small fry as our four deuce mortars had their range ‘unlisted’...surely we don’t give out accurate info about aircraft capabilities.
Well, that's encouraging.
Alright, but someone commented upthread that at high mountain altitudes, it would be possible to hit these airships with something the Afghans already have.
I'm out of my depth on the science and ballistic technicalities involved here. Just commenting on what I'm seeing from more well-informed posters.
When did Navy retire the last one? I remember that they were called s**tbags.
The airship could have been operational 2 years ago, but the EPA made the DOD redesign the porta-potties...to meet three week mission requirements..
Miltary aviation started with balloons and for the same reasons; What’s old is new again.
That’s a blimp. I mean an 800 foot long airship that can hold 100 people and fly from Germany to Brazil. Imagine the tours it could do: down the Mississippi to the Grand Canyon, past Yosemite and then along Mount Rushmore, stuff like that. It would be the ultimate cool vacation.
...92 mph (148 kph)... 302-foot (92-meter) airship...My goodness.
Wheee! ;’)
All over the BBC news this morning:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12110386
Nice video of the prototype in flight. The company website is
http://www.hybridairvehicles.net/
I keep saying that it feels more and more like 1914.
The National Tower at Gettysburg was an eyesore, and yet it was an excellent way to view the terrain and gain a good understanding of how the battle unfolded. Since it was torn down, I’ve dreamed about a battlefield tour program from tethered hot air balloons...
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