mattingly Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 250-Foot Long Hybrid Airship Will Spy Over Afghanistan Battlefields in 2011 http://gizmodo.com/5366082/250+foot-long-hybrid-airship-will-spy-over-afghanistan-battlefields-in-2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austenandrews Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins If there's zeppelins, it has to be an alternate universe. Therefore we must be the alternate universe now. We probably diverged when this project was greenlit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barton Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Airships have MANY advantages. Long range (often days, sometimes weeks), stability (in moderate winds), and good lift for payload. Great for a UAV-like platform for spying. Bad news - high winds are not good at all, difficult to service/shelter, very easy to shoot down (but at high alt. not likely to happen). Overall this is a decent idea. The USA operated blimps for over the horizon radar platforms in the 1960's. Blimps were used to hunt submarines in WW2. So the idea of military use of lighter than air ships is not new. "What is old is new again" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins 20,000 feet is out of range of most AAA and is also prohibitively high for most MANPADs too. I think if they could be made more aerodynamic ala the Aeroscraft concept, and also maybe use some kind of carbon nanofiber armored shell, it's quite possible we could see a return of the rigid combat dirigible. Maybe with carefully placed CIWS to shoot down incoming missiles, and some large-bore recoilless rifles and rocket-launchers for ground support. Well, that's how they roll in my campaign universe, anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clsage Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins [/Quote] Yes.....an excellent idea for a lair....errrr, headquarters. -Carl- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yansuf Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Yes.....an excellent idea for a lair....errrr, headquarters. -Carl- Castle von Fogg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yansuf Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins 250-Foot Long Hybrid Airship Will Spy Over Afghanistan Battlefields in 2011 Actually, it looks more like a hybrid blimp. I doubt that it has a rigid airframe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sociotard Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins But, I thought Afghanistan had intense winds? My dream for a blimp would be for fast recovery of communications in the event of disaster. A Katrina-type event happens. Along with the other aid, a blimp like this is shipped in as soon as possible, restoring cell phones and other wireless communications until the Cell companies can repair the towers themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yansuf Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins But' date=' I thought Afghanistan [b']had[/b] intense winds? My dream for a blimp would be for fast recovery of communications in the event of disaster. A Katrina-type event happens. Along with the other aid, a blimp like this is shipped in as soon as possible, restoring cell phones and other wireless communications until the Cell companies can repair the towers themselves. A much smaller blimp would be able to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins There's a military R&D thingy called Project Walrus which calls for a hybrid airship/aircraft capable of transporting 500-1000 tons of military personnel and hardware anywhere in the world within one week. The Aeros aeroscraft is supposedly the one proposal that's come closest to fulfilling the requirements. Seems like a craft capable of transporting that much mass would be capable of carrying and launching its own aircraft, albeit with extensive modifications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins For that matter, even a 150m long nonrigid blimp should be capable of carrying and launching and refueling Predator, Predator II and Global Hawk recon/attack drones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Serpent Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Perform the functions of a spy satellite at closer ranges but still safe from enemies without airpower, able to adjust faster and likely cheaper to boot (especially factoring in launch costs). Sounds good to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Actually' date=' it looks more like a hybrid blimp. I doubt that it has a rigid airframe.[/quote'] It may be semi-rigid, like the new zeppelins. The drawing shows the propellers and the rear thruster protruding from the gasbag, which means it would at least have a keel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Mackinder Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Puts me in mind of a ... guess it would be called a technothriller ... that I read many years ago. 'A Game Of Titans' by Gary Allan Ruse. Standard Cold War McGuffin plot - defecting scientist who has figured out some new breakthrough is stuck on a remote Pacific island after the inexplicable crash of the airliner he was on. The Soviets send their crusier-carrier 'Kiev' to "rescue" him. In response, the USA sends the 'Grand Eagle', a USAF project that has just completed shakedown. Basically, she is an airship, a BIG one, constructed using modern materials and techniques. Her main power plant is a small nuclear reactor. For weaponry, she packs a variety of missiles and UAVs, half a dozen AV-8 Harriers and a couple of big lasers (enough juice and accuracy to surgically slice both wings off a too-close Yak-36, at one point) . And a UH-1 Huey for "away team" and shuttle-style ops. Not a bad read, though probably rather "light" compared with subsequent technothrillers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins If there's zeppelins' date=' it has to be an alternate universe. Therefore [i']we[/i] must be the alternate universe now. We probably diverged when this project was greenlit. Steampunk really is the future after all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmadanNaBriona Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Puts me in mind of a ... guess it would be called a technothriller ... that I read many years ago. 'A Game Of Titans' by Gary Allan Ruse. Standard Cold War McGuffin plot - defecting scientist who has figured out some new breakthrough is stuck on a remote Pacific island after the inexplicable crash of the airliner he was on. The Soviets send their crusier-carrier 'Kiev' to "rescue" him. In response, the USA sends the 'Grand Eagle', a USAF project that has just completed shakedown. Basically, she is an airship, a BIG one, constructed using modern materials and techniques. Her main power plant is a small nuclear reactor. For weaponry, she packs a variety of missiles and UAVs, half a dozen AV-8 Harriers and a couple of big lasers (enough juice and accuracy to surgically slice both wings off a too-close Yak-36, at one point) . And a UH-1 Huey for "away team" and shuttle-style ops. Not a bad read, though probably rather "light" compared with subsequent technothrillers. three words. Hyperion Power Module. We can SO do nuclear Airships now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins 20,000 feet is out of range of most AAA and is also prohibitively high for most MANPADs too. I think if they could be made more aerodynamic ala the Aeroscraft concept, and also maybe use some kind of carbon nanofiber armored shell, it's quite possible we could see a return of the rigid combat dirigible. Maybe with carefully placed CIWS to shoot down incoming missiles, and some large-bore recoilless rifles and rocket-launchers for ground support. Well, that's how they roll in my campaign universe, anyway... tactical airborne Laser for self defense, bombs, missiles, and I like the idea of modern recoilless rifles (I am still looking for more info on the British 120mm recoilless with the iirc 5 rd rotary magazine, reloadable from under armor) for offense... A 120mm recoilless could use standard HE, GPS guided fused HE, FLechette or cannister, guided gun launched missiles like the Israeli LAHAT... Then there is the possibility of using the large AESA radar as a directed energy weapon and jammer... Though of course that would take a LOT of power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Mackinder Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Though of course that would take a LOT of power. Can you say "... Nooo-ky-leer ..." ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escafarc Posted April 15, 2010 Report Share Posted April 15, 2010 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins US military testing high-tech dirigibles in Utah: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100414/ap_on_re_us/us_military_tests_dirigibles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roter Baron Posted April 18, 2010 Report Share Posted April 18, 2010 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Der Rote Baron, Terror of the Skies (and Below!) comments: "Sis is aktually a picture of MEIN HAUPTQUARTER! Which means: Captain Bucky and his Wild Bunch must get hier any Minute! Verdammt! Start the Death-Ray-Generator, Igor! Ve will giff zes so callt "Heroes" a Velkomm zat zey vill never forget! MUHAHAHAHA!" Most well-prepared Pulp-Villains follow Hero-Forum to be up-to-date! HERO FORUM: So you know that they hit you before they hit you! "Now I am really cooking with gas!" (Gas-Man) "Bloody Useful!" (Lord Blood) "They really just fly into my webs to be cathched - thanks to Hero Forum!" (The Black Spider) "My old nemesis Steve "Ironfist" White? Is licking my black boots with a zombie tongue." (Voodoo Master) "MUHAHAHA!" (Der Rote Baron) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Mackinder Posted April 18, 2010 Report Share Posted April 18, 2010 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Has Roter Baron been mixing his meds again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted April 18, 2010 Report Share Posted April 18, 2010 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Has Roter Baron been mixing his meds again? nah....that is just his normal wackyness...... just wait tell he does ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Any recent news on the development of the first dirigible posted here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Any recent news on the development of the first dirigible posted here? Just do a search on the Lockheed Martin P-791. Some good pics pop up too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 Re: Modern Military Zeppelins Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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