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| Science & Technology |
| U.S. Army weighs blimp fleet |
| 2006-05-24 |
| The U.S. Army is researching the prospect of deploying airships to Iraq, both for surveillance as well as for troop transport. Officials said the army has been briefed on the use of airships equipped with sensors that could provide continuous surveillance over insurgency strongholds in Iraq. The airships would ensure real-time information on insurgency threats to army commands and ease the burden on the Army's unmanned aerial vehicle fleet.. "The capability of an airship would be much greater than that of a tactical UAV," an official said. "We could be provided with a comprehensive situational awareness picture before patrols and other missions." The Defense Department has held a competition to provide a blimp for troop transport. The finalists were identified as Lockheed Martin and a tiny California firm, Worldwide Aeros. Both companies have won a total of $3 million in awards to provide the Pentagon with preliminary design work for the air troop transport. Worldwide Aeros, with 40 employees, manufactures blimps for flying billboards. In September 2006, the Pentagon would determine which one of the companies would win a $100 million contract. In the first stage of the project, the winner would build a 900-foot airship prototype. At a later stage, the U.S. military could order a fleet of the blimps in what could cost up to $11 billion. Another company, Blackwater USA, has presented a concept for a 120-foot airship packed with infrared sensors, CCD cameras and meant to provide reconnaissance for up to four days at a time. Executives said the 120-foot airship would be ready by the end of 2006. "If bad guys are setting up IEDs on the side of the road, we can see real-time what's going on," Blackwater USA vice president Chris Taylor said. The development of the airship marked a new direction for Blackwater USA. Blackwater has provided thousands of security guards and bodyguards for the State Department in Afghanistan and Iraq. Officials said the military deployment of airships could ensure the retention of UAVs for combat missions. The military has deployed about 1,000 UAVs in Iraq, many of them produced by Israel. Airships like these and better should have been deployed six months after the end of major hostilities. Relatively inexpensive, with known technologies, they could be the ground equivalent of AWACS and have already saved many American lives. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #9 One other thing to consider: Altitude. Put the blimp up at 8000 ft, static and stabilized position. Even the most hardcore gunner is goign to have trouble doing meaningful damage to it, yets a full sensor package will be able to zoom in quite well on any MTI's spotted by FLIR or other observation mechanisms. |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-05-24 23:42 |
| #8 Groundfire means that blimps are basically going to be used for what they were used for in WW-1 and even the civil war (I think): static observation. Differece being its all unmanned stuff - no crew at risk, static location, remote operated and monitored - with a good field of view. Maybe even a hellfire or 2 on the payload bay for snaphots on targets of opportunity (like the Predator). Given they can make compartmentalized helium bags, and kevlar coating on the outside, and amor up the payload bay - means they will be highly unlikely to be "shot down". Just a slow leak, allowing them to be reeled in, repaired and relaunched. Certainly a lot cheaper than a Kiwoa or Longbow or Little Bird. Put these at proper intervals along the log routes and over the city routes - plus move them to 'hot spots". This woudl stop a lot of the IED emplacement - hellfire out of nowhere tends to discourage enve the most determined bomb emplace. |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-05-24 23:40 |
| #7 The important point is not to get too focused on their potential, but what they can do right now. Hell, even taking a can of spraypaint to a Goodyear blimp right now would mean getting one in the air over Iraq where it could do some good. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-05-24 23:21 |
| #6 Aerostats for surveillance is a good idea, but I have trouble with the concept of using them for troop transport. I guess the idea is that you trade IEDs for ground fire. I would guess that even a jihadi could hit a blimp with a Dragunov 12.7mm. |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-05-24 22:21 |
| #5 THese blimps might potens serve in a variety of missions from armed UAV carrier to GPS and SPAWAR-GMD. The Army at last check is proceeding wid dev of VTOL/VSTOL-style future attack transports for AIRMECH, i.e. Airborne/Airlanding-capable Armored Fighting Vehicles. These blimps may serve as the airborne intermediary between the armed helo and future attack transport, versus traditional heavy sealift and offshore mobile basing, when Army-Marine grunts and Specops absolutely positively need stuff delivered overnite. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-05-24 22:14 |
| #4 Oldspook: I was most impressed by the performance of Blackwater, et al, in Najaf and environs. But however effective they can be at plowing under vast herds of recalcitrants, I still dislike the idea of not going for the max. If ping-pong balls are needed to hastily dispatch the fuzzy-wuzzy, and they are in the power to be delivered, then I say so be it, and damn any excuse otherwise. Why haven't blimps been sent, and are only now being considered? Had there been a blimp or two over Fallujah, many precious Marines might still be among us. A blimp, even loaded with our best equipment, is pocket change. So why aren't they there? |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-05-24 22:11 |
| #3 On the serious side, Blackwater knows their stuff - they hire people that know what they are about. They are pretty well known too. But there are others. If you want to do a good Iraq tour with a good company, first prove that you arent some half assed slack wannabee. Then go see EODT. They consistently impressed the hell out of me doing convoy/facility security, PSD and training of some private and government ISF - as well as the UXO work they are widely known for. As far as civilian contractors go, EODT is the big leagues. Nevermind who/how I know. If you have the background and want to get into the mix in Iraq but don't wat to get back in the Army/Marines, that's the company I would go with. |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-05-24 21:45 |
| #2 ;-) |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-05-24 21:40 |
| #1 Well, if they are properly inflated, the blimp fleet shouldnt weigh anything at all. /muckymode |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-05-24 21:36 |