SAIC and ZLT Zeppelin to Develop New Pilot-Optional Airships and Market Mutual LTA Product Lines Introduction – Airships are a proven, highly effective, but relatively little-used aerial platform for important applications such as persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); national security; and support for deployed troops. (more…)
From aviationweek.com: “A lot more detail on the US Army’s plans to test an unmanned hybrid airship for persistent surveillance has emerged in an updated solicitation for the Long Endurance Multi-INT Vehicle (LEMV) demonstration – which is expected to lead to a deployment in Afghanistan.
A hybrid airship combines buoyant, aerodynamic and propulsive lift to make it easier to launch and recover than a true lighter-than-air aircraft.” Staying Up, Staring Down – LEMV Airship
From Kent News: “This unusual looking aircraft is set to be the first solar-powered airship to cross the English Channel from France to Kent. Forward thrust is provided by two large propellers, while lift is taken care of by the massive helium filled tube. And it will get all its power directly and exclusively by the sun. Rays will be captured by a spine of flexible solar panels running down the middle of the balloon.” (more…)
From The Toledo Blade: “There are all kinds of interesting aircraft around Toledo Express Airport or flying in and out, but the one that seems to have elicited the most intrigue is about eight inches off the ground and resting on scaffolding. “We have all kinds of people stop and look, especially when the [hangar] doors are open,” explained Fred Rist, a native of Pemberville.” (more…)
From FlightGlobal: “A 15.2m (50ft)-long prototype for a 95m airship has now been flown 22 times and its developer Hybrid Air Vehicles has submitted bids for US military contracts, including the Long Endurance Multi-INT Vehicle (LEMV) programme for the US Army.” Hybrid Airship Vehicles – Prototype hybrid airship flies
The first known way (that at least establishment caveman-to-spaceman mythology historians accept) for men to fly was by Lighter-Than-Air (LTA) aircraft. Today’s Lockheed-Martin “Skunk Works” P-791 LTA hybrid heavy lifter with an air-cushion landing system (ACLS) to firmly connect the airship to the ground in suction mode is a good contrast for the LTA balloon attack envisioned during the 1800s by Benjamin Franklin and Napoleon.
From aopa.org: “Is there a more iconic corporate symbol than the Goodyear blimp? Company research shows that whenever the word “blimp” is used, most every American thinks “Goodyear.” Such name recognition and association doesn’t occur without a major investment in time and money, and Goodyear has made both over the past 84 years to support commercial blimp operations. However, the company’s contributions to aviation go back even further.” One giant icon: Flying a piece of aviation history
From Mountainview Voice: “NASA Ames deputy director Lew Braxton told a crowd last Thursday that the agency was hard at work on a plan to restore Hangar One within the next 18 months in order to return it to “its original purpose.” “There is a possibility we will have another [airship out here,” Braxton said as he talked about NASA’s plan for Hangar One. The announcement was a revelation to those at the Moffett Field Restoration Advisory Board meeting, some of whom said they’d heard rumors, but no confirmation, that NASA wanted to once more park a huge airship inside the iconic structure. Among other things, it would mean that NASA plans to re-skin the hangar after the Navy strips off its toxic siding.
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The founder of Dynalifter, a freight-moving aircraft in the line of a dirigible or blimp, will make a presentation to the Western Reserve Port Authority on Wednesday morning, seeking a partnership to allow the company to test and build the aircraft at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport. Robert Rist, president of Ohio Airships Inc., said Monday that testing the aircraft at the airport could provide more than 500 jobs to the airport. If production of the aircraft were take place, employment could swell to 1,500, Rist said.
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From kqed.org: “The Hindenburg wasn’t the only air ship to end in a catastrophic crash. In 1935, the USS Macon went down in 1000 feet of water off the coast of Monterey, California. Now, as scientists study the recently-discovered wreckage, dirigibles are returning to the Bay Area and are poised to rule the skies once again. But these aren’t the same dirigibles – these are new and improved.”
