Lockheed HAA
In the wake of my article covering the USA's future TSAT/ TCA military communications backbone, Robert M asked my the USA didn't use blimps as airborne radars et. al. above cities and such, in addition to their potential role as high-altitude communications relays.
Good suggestion, Robert. In fact, US military blimps are one of the quiet and underreported trends right now. There are even a couple of programs coming down the pipe to fill an AWACS-like radar role - but that isn't all, and we're likely to see civilian spinoffs from a few of these projects.
- The JLENS system is the closest to his suggestion, and it uses aerostats (tethered blimps no engine). Smaller versions are in use at a couple of locations on the front lines for general surveillance, and there have been inexplicably half-hearted efforts to use these along the Mexican border. The real 71 meter JLENS aerostats will fly at med-high altitude and be part of air defense networks via carried radars, infared detectors, et. al. Its characteristics make it especially good against cuse missiles, and it will play some role in missile defense as well. It has been tested in cooperation with naval AEGIS and Army Patriot PAC-3 systems, and can be networked with them via an important set of American technologies called Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC). JLENS just got a $1.3 billion "go!" contract after a bunch of smaller R&D/ testing contracts.
- High Altitude Airship. That's a powered blimp they're working on that's several times the size of the Goodyear Blimp, and will probably have a significant solar power component. Because of its cruising height (60-70 thousand feet for months at a time), it will have greater secondary usefulness as part of a layered ballistic missile defense system. It will also be an excellent communications relay, and could well become part of the TSAT's "incremental competition". Still in the R&D stage, but it's a $150 million R&D program.
- The Navy is paying attention. About 60 years ago, blimps were used for observation over fleets. We may be headed back to the future, because they're experimenting with fleet defense blimps again. Makes sense - why not inflate and release aerostats that get tugged along behind their ships, to do the kinds of things JLENS does. The coverage is less flexible and forward than the E-2 Hawkeye AWACS aircraft, but it's a fantastic complement that can be in the air 24/7 during threat situations. If the CVBG (carrier battle group) has a few up, plus CEC with its AEGIS destroyers and cruiser, it would become a VERY powerful networked radar system. But even US Marines Amphibious Ready Groups or small naval Surface Action Groups could carry and launch them, and a surveillance aerostat could be an interesting swap-in module for the USA's future Littoral Combat Ships.
WALRUS technologies
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(click to view full)
- And, on a very different note - how about a transport aircraft that can lift 1-2 MILLION pounds, and carry it 6,000 miles? Well, actually it's more like a blimp. I am the WALRUS (goo goo g'joob!). If the military can make this work and solve the ballast problem, this technology will have no shortage of civilian roles as well. Early R&D stage, with the aim of deploying a very small test version that only has the capacity of a C-130 Hercules (40,000 pounds) by 2008-2009.
- DID has a whole topic archive for coverage of blimps and related air vehicles, if that interests folks.
There's a blimp hovering abover Baghdad airport 24 hours a day. I always assumed it was military related. Any thoughts?
Check to see if it has a gondola and engines. I bet it doesn't which means it's very, very likely to be one of the smaller JLENS-derived surveillance systems they deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.
One problem with aerostats is power. Batteries will give you a great deal of power, but they don't last very long. Solar cells last but dont' deliver a whole lotta power - the bigger the array the bigger the aerostat - the harder it is to handle.
What we need is (and I'm being disengenous - my company is prototyping these) is a drone to ascend a cable to the blimp, exchange batteries and come home. Perhaps not so surprisingly the hard part is making a lifter go up/down while the cable is bouncing around in the wind ...
Cant you just run power up the cable?
Mark, you can, and they do. Follow the links to DID, and you'll see how it's done.
Cant you just run power up the cable?
As Joe notes, they do. This is not always practical - doing this implies an infrastructure on the ground that is not always available. Say (for exmaple) a forward operating base where the power is sketchy or not available at the tether site.
Which replaces the 'power' infrastructure with one where you are schlepping heavy batteries to and fro, granted. Nothing is perfect.
Ah. In that case rig up one of those crazy Tesla towers and beam the energy wirelessly.
How do they keep Helicopters and planes from running into the tether?
How do they keep Helicopters and planes from running into the tether?
A notice to airman (NOTAM) saying "don't fly here"
Aerostats these days are attached to container/ trailers. Trailers can carry a portable generator that can churn out the minor amounts of power required - remember there are no engines or hot air to worry about, just the electronics which may not take all that much. Such constructs can go damn near anywhere, and run for a very long time. Want more running time next week? Fill up the gas tank. It's not a huge problem.
The issue of how to power stuff like the (unthethered, with engine) HAA, on the other hand, is indeed much more of a live problem and will be a big focus of research.
Brian is correct re: the tether thing. Air traffic control, or what the Air Force calls "deconfliction," with flight plans, corridors et. al., is a lot more involved than most folks realize. To the point that it's seriously hindering the value of UAVs in Iraq, which can't be used in the "infantry reactive recon" role they were designed for.
To the point that it's seriously hindering the value of UAVs in Iraq, which can't be used in the "infantry reactive recon" role they were designed for.
This is why you are going to see ammunition based sensor rounds for small units.
When it comes to aerial deconfliction, "Incoming ammo has the right of way."
Lighter than air craft are a very good idea. I think it was 1932 when the Graf Zeppelin flew around the world with ony three stops for fuel. A modern blimp or dirigible could stay on station for a very long time. We could hang a few Predator drones from it to take out the terrorists when they poke their ugly heads up. Since the drone is already at altitude, would have a much longer loiter time when launched. Blimps might draw fire from the ground, but our snipers know how to deal with that.
Balloons also make a good way to extend the reach of cruise missiles. The drift cruise system uses them to carry cruise missiles into the approximate area before dropping them for accurate flight to a final target.
Thank You
I can understand the fact that these blimps are quiet but the fact is they are huge and slow. Its hardly a recipe for spy stuff if you ask me.