Pentagon Bringing Back the Blimp

[Remus]

This has me wondering where they're going to get the helium for a project like this. Isn't there a shortage right now?

 

[Gilhelmi]

Dear God, Please let this happen. In the Name, Amen

OK, this is awsome. We would save so much on fuel costs and transport more. Also, Force the aircraft industry to improve the planes. Plane could be for getting somewhere fast, Blimps to get somewhere cheaply.

Also, Blimps are safer.

I'm not sure a flying watermelon is that much more stealthy.

They are still testing. We will get there soon.

snip

Weren't blimps phased out because they were too slow, although that information comes from the zeppelin episode of Archer, so I don't know how reliable it is:

snip
Oh, also I thought we don't need stealth spyplanes anymore, thanks to satellites we can film and photograph people anywhere in the world at any time without any risk of being shot out of the sky, that's why the SR-71 Blackbird retired.

No, they were phased out because of the Germans were using Hydrogen instead of Helium (though the low-grade "rocket fuel" paint did not help either). They got an unfair reputation for being unsafe.

Onto satellites, there are issues with relying solely on them. They are much higher up in the atmosphere so there are more issues with cloud cover. Also, against popular myth, we cannot watch every part of the Earths surface 24/7. There is a way to change orbit but not always to go exactly where you want to. A SpyBlimp can stay in one region and observe that area for months, uninterrupted. The strategy is to have multiple systems in place and choose the one best suited to the situation.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Wait, I know where this is going

Yeah, obviously. But wait, this is the American side.

 

[Zen Toombs]

Spoiler: Who else had this glorious image as the first thing to pop into their head?

>>>Was ist das?

Tis Castle Wulfenbach, from the glorious webcomic, Girl Genius.

Spoiler: To summarize the comic:

 

[Jfswift]

I'm not sure a flying watermelon is that much more stealthy.

I would imagine its quiet though.

 

[PirateRose]

Isn't there a major helium shortage going on?

 

[Sansha]

This is little more than an absolutely gargantuan, easily penetrated target.

 

[ResonanceSD]

This is little more than an absolutely gargantuan, easily penetrated target.

There's a "your mom" joke hiding in there somewhere, but I'm glad that the entire Escapist community is unwilling to stoop that low.

But seriously, how does this even work? Unless it's going up against a) blind pilots or b) inferior tech, I have no idea how it'd be even slightly viable.

 

[valkeminator]

The Sphyrna carrier blimp from Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere (Yes a fighter jet carrier in the form of a blimp) was the first thing that occured to me.

I wonder if anyone remembered how ridiculously hard it was to shoot down this thing.

Either way, I'm interested in seeing how this will turn out, although the idea of a giant blimp trying to spy in the sky is as effective as assassinating while carrying a sign saying "Shh I'm an assassin" on your back.

 

[Spartanmk1]

Kinda reminds me of the Triangle sightings in Phoenix in the the late 90's. Quiet object flying overhead at night with 3 lights on.

In fact it fits perfectly, this is very likely the cause of that, or at least a prototype was.


There has been speculation about a Stealth Blimp for ages now. Kinda neat to see the theory come to fruition.

 

[Fluffythepoo]

Isnt the world going to run out helium this century? Or is that bit of trivia not supposed to be in my head?

 

[Tiger Sora]

War aspects usefulness: Negative.
Intelligence gathering: Relatively Unless. Possible use as communications craft. Easy target
Transportation of military supplies: Viable but weight limit will not allow for flight of the M1A2 Abrams MBT. Not viable for wartime shipping as slow speed will negate lifting capacity. Speed of aircraft and vastly greater capacity of ships, well whats the point.
Can not fly in heavier turbulent wether. (Most likely can't).

Really this is only good for peacetime shipping. It would be of great use to civilian aspects. Such as construction, lifting sections of radio/tv/cell towers much larger than a helicopter could.
Cross continental shipment of large machinery. Turbines, generators, other large pieces of things.

Really just is an out of warzone/peacetime craft. Though it has it's uses out of them.

 

[DanDeFool]

An airship that pumps helium into compressed tanks to control it's altitude... Not a bad idea until one of the tanks bursts...

Yeah, and then all that helium leaks out and... Makes you even more buoyant?

...

You do bring up a good point; you need some kind of b-plan for if you can no longer control your buoyancy. Unless you were thinking of something like the Hindenburg, in which case I'll remind you that was caused by hydrogen, not helium. Helium doesn't burn.

My concern would be that helium is actually quite scarce, and a non-renewable resource. There's actually a worldwide helium shortage as of last year, and i'm not sure they ever got it sorted out.

 

[Robert0288]

The blimp doesn't have to be stealthy, because that isn't it's role. For surveillance in an area where you already have overwhelming air superiority (afghanistan, iraq, any insurgency) Then it's perfectly fine. And with a payload of 60 tons, you can stick one hell of a surveillance package on it. Throw in a couple of rockets and your end result is a predator with unlimited range, and huge amounts of ammo. Also what insurgent weapon can hit something at 12,000ft+? Because it's hollow and no engine, IR wouldn't be able to lock it. Stick some LED's on the bottom and now it is virtually invisible during the day, and will be invisible at night.

 

[Abomination]

The blimp doesn't have to be stealthy, because that isn't it's role. For surveillance in an area where you already have overwhelming air superiority (afghanistan, iraq, any insurgency) Then it's perfectly fine. And with a payload of 60 tons, you can stick one hell of a surveillance package on it. Throw in a couple of rockets and your end result is a predator with unlimited range, and huge amounts of ammo. Also what insurgent weapon can hit something at 12,000ft+? Because it's hollow and no engine, IR wouldn't be able to lock it. Stick some LED's on the bottom and now it is virtually invisible during the day, and will be invisible at night.

I imagine the primary issue is simply the height, let alone all the other cloaking factors. They will not have weapons that can reach nearly half that height.

All we need is for it to have a giant display on the bottom "OBEY".

Also: Fuckyeah, airships!

 

[Mocmocman]

Tis Castle Wulfenbach, from the glorious webcomic, Girl Genius.

I recognized it. =D

An airship that pumps helium into compressed tanks to control it's altitude... Not a bad idea until one of the tanks bursts...

The air force uses liquid oxygen right now, for breathing oxygen. There's risk for a lot of stuff, but I think they've got most of it figured out.

 

[Squilookle]

If there's been one thing that I've consistently wondered about and cautiously wished for it's a second age of airships.

Me too. Hindenburg aside, the Germans had an incredible safety record with Zeppelins. Just look at the Graf Zeppelin. That thing did some serious mileage. If the British, Italians and Americans copied them more closely, airships wouldn't have got the bad rap that they did.

Also if America -the only source of Helium at the time- gave some of it to the other nations, there wouldn't have even been an issue with the Hindenburg.

Then we might have had a bit more of this:

 

[MortisLegio]

My first thought


OT: seems kinda interesting, I remember the old blimp hangers my dad worked at on El Toro airbase. It's kinda silly but I always liked blimps.