Whitman Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 Come this fall, there will be a new and extremely powerful supercomputer in Afghanistan. But it won’t be in Dave Petraeus’ headquarters in Kabul or at some three-letter agency’s operations center in Kandahar. It’ll be floating 20,000 feet above the warzone, aboard a giant spy blimp that watches and listens to everything for miles around. That is, if an ambitious, $211 million crash program called “Blue Devil” works out as planned. As of now, the airship’s “freakishly large” hull — seven times the size of the Goodyear Blimp’s — has yet to be put together. Full article: ISR Blimp
nrodgsxr Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 how are they going to stop the hadjis from shooting at the freakishly large blimp?
SurelySerious Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 (edited) how are they going to stop the hadjis from shooting at the freakishly large blimp? floating 20,000 feet above the warzone Although I could see a problem when it needs to land and refuel. Edited January 19, 2011 by SurelySerious
nrodgsxr Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 Although I could see a problem when it needs to land and refuel. well i guess it has no IR signature and they probably won't stick it near a mountain top
stract Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 because there are no mountains in Afghanistan...
GrndPndr Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 ...crash program... Best description ever! From the "Let's put all of our assets up in a balloon," department). Sorry for the negativity FM
Dubs Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 how are they going to stop the hadjis from shooting at the freakishly large blimp? Do the following two words mean anything to you... reflective belt? If it's good enough for us, it's good enough for a blimp! 3
afthunderchief16 Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 So you're saying that the fabled Blimp Folding occupation for the AF is coming to fruition? 2
Skitzo Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 Maybe it will increase the accuracy of the AWACS traffic calls if they know one of their targets is actually stationary. 1
Napoleon_Tanerite Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 Maybe it will increase the accuracy of the AWACS traffic calls if they know one of their targets is actually stationary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KDviXJCfHg We've been waiting for you....
StoleIt Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 So how does a blimp not get tossed around like a leaf at 20-30k with 100 knot winds blasting around? I see this thing getting scooted over to Iranian air space and then we will have another EP-3 v China incident on our hand.
Guest Hund Von Krieg Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 One bimbo with a wool sweater and the whole thing is doomed 1
Vice Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 Hmm didn't the German government try using "blimps" in the 40's?
StoleIt Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 One bimbo with a wool sweater and the whole thing is doomed And yet a surprising amount of storage. 1
Napoleon_Tanerite Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 And yet a surprising amount of storage. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who picked up on that Archer reference. DANGER ZONE!
frog Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 Smaller versions of these things are going up all over theater. As usual, Air Force leadership has no long term vision and has completely ignored this program. Flying jets is more fun, got it, but I really wish they would understand that protecting the jet mission means doing less glamorous stuff like UAS and blimps also. The Army found a way to provide continous ISR coverage from the air without us...way to go blue. 1 1
B*D*A Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 I'm glad I wasn't the only one who picked up on that Archer reference. DANGER ZONE! Dear Airplanes, this is Blimp, you win. 4
Napoleon_Tanerite Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 Dear Airplanes, this is Blimp, you win. i regret that i can only give you one positive vote for this post.
Skyclops Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 Dear Airplanes, this is Blimp, you win. "What about helium not being flammable do you not understand?" "Obviously the core concept. I didn't go to space camp." Don't act like it is 1
Sim Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 So any person that gets "UAV blimp" during assignment night will be put on a mandatory suicide watch.
GrndPndr Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 (edited) Technically it's a rigid airship 'Ship,' yes. Isn't the Navy supposed to operate these things? I bet they have some "seamen" that would love to operate in a great big phallus... FM Edited January 20, 2011 by GrndPndr
TrainerModel Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 The should add a digital marque like the goodyear one on it that says stuff like "I see you assholes" and "Smile, you're dead" all in arabic 2
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