Lockheed Martin to build High Altitude Airship for homeland security
By Darren Murph 
posted January 22nd 2007 9:50AM
posted January 22nd 2007 9:50AM
Although it's not exactly shocking to hear of yet another homeland security application that seems to border on Big Brother, Lockheed Martin's High Altitude Airship could keep an elevated eye on 600 miles of US countryside at any given time, and if all goes as planned, we'll have 11 of these things floating over our everyday activities by the end of the decade. The HAA prototype is a ginormous airship that measures 17-times larger than the Goodyear rendition we're all used to seeing above sporting events, and is designed to hover 12 miles above the earth in order to keep tabs on what's happening below. The airship is slated to be solar-powered and should stay in a geocentric orbit for "up to a year," and if equipped with high-resolution cameras, a single one could cover everything "between Toledo, Ohio and New York City." While Lockheed Martin is thrilled with the $40 million project they've been awarded, it's certainly understandable to get a little worried about how these blimps will actually be used, but a company spokesperson suggested then an entire fleet could actually be used for "border surveillance" -- and hey, we need a little help down there anyway, right?[Via Fark]
Yeh, keep an eye on borders... and UFO's!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1166743665260900218
"You can feel much safer now"
Hope it can shoot down those pesky illegal aliens!
Another company is already developing their own high-altitude platform. Except that one will be used for directing a wireless footprint the size of Texas.
Check it out....
http://www.sanswire.com/stratellite.htm
Yea sure. Until some recently created Chinese satellite space debris turns the blimp into swiss cheese.
First, how is this news? They've been working on it for at least 5 years. I did a design for one of these, based on this specific project, back in college in 2002.
Second, "geocentric orbit" is just wrong. If it were in geocentric orbit it would be out somewhere around 3 times the Earth's radius, not just 12 miles. It just remains at a fixed position relative to the ground.
Geo - centric = earth as center... no?
you're thinking you geosynchronous?
geostationary FTW
SKYNET FTW!!!
Yea, I used to work for Lockheed Martin. These will primarily be uses as communication hubs for wireless networking - like big routers. This way, soldiers in Iraq will have a more direct (and reliable) link with the Pentagon and the US Mainland.
I thought it was called geosynchronous orbit, but whatev.
Geosynchronous means the orbit takes 24 hours. Geostationary is a special geosynchronous orbit that maintains a relative position in the sky. Geocentric just means it's orbiting the Earth.
But, it's all moot, since this thing isn't in any kind of orbit whatsoever. It's just up in the sky. If it were in orbit it could be much smaller, and not filled with helium.
Why for border security? Already have a radar-only version hovering in the distance outside my office here...
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/airdef/tars-HTARS11.jpg
Got to do something with all that hot air.
F@*$@ that, the government is really getting close to where the people are going to have to start fighting back, V for Vendetta anyone?
So are people going to live in this thing for the duration of the year-long flight? Or will there be a shuttle that docks with it once a day, or week, or something?
I cant believe you guys stand for this stuff, seriously, if this kind of thing went down in Europe there would riots. What good is a constitution that enshrines your rights as a human being if you let someone walk all over them? The constitution makes people lazy because they believe that their rights are protected but they are not, ffs
Very true, well said.
In europe?
Where in London they have stationed cameras on ever street corner to monitor if people are being nice?
Of course there'd be riots!
Big Balloon. Now with friggin' lasers®
Mikeyg, beernutz14:
you guys should probably stick to commenting on the news that you might understand.
and engadget, the air vehicle was designed to be a eye in the sky for battle theaters, as well as a hub like JAMES MERTZ said. real time information and total battlefield surveilance are huge right now.
fucking disgusting how the government is just taking over the people. The government should be scared of the people but instead it is the opposite. Sure they are covering the borders.. gimme a break.. they can't seem to care much enough to take action on the ground and yea.. this will help! i see this as a major spying device not just for us citizens but probably our neighboring continents as well.
the defense community is responsible for early development of much of the high technology that you and i use today.
if it weren't for defense research, you wouldn't be able to post here.
this unmanned vehicle can be used for surveillance, as well as improved communications - so when you're enjoying your high speed wifi from anywhere in a city, just remember that there are good and bad sides in the development of any technology.
All of the over-reacting is just plain ridiculous. The so-called "progressive" peoples republic of boulder has been monitoring people for years. All in the public "good" of course.
If they want to watch me, they don't need this. They'd use one of those black helicopters. At least this way there's less noise.
This project has "budget cuts" written all over it.
It sounds expensive and ineffective, one of thousands of Homeland Security projects that border on ridiculous...
12 miles is nothing. The U2 had a service ceiling of 16 miles, and a 1950's era surface to air missile was still able to shoot one down.
Hindenburg all over again.... let us hope. As a Canadian, I'm very pissed off. But it's not like the US hasn't had this kind of capability before, its just the same old high res cameras, only attached to the biggest waste of money imaginable. They're already spying on you, don't get too upset all at once.
They should place land mines along the border. And, no I am not a white conservative, Bush loving fanatic.
Maybe they'll be used for nationwide WiMax!
blimps for watching the borders isn't enough....the only way to stop the flow of illegal aliens is (unfortunatly) to pony up for a big arse wall.....its either that...or the cheap way, that I like...But will never be done, and thats......LANDMINES.
trust me, if you have landmines all across the border...some hidden, some not. The flow of illegals will drop fast.
Go ahead and build all the barriers you want, but you are still going to need all that cheap labor to build it. So shut up and stop complaining about illegal immigration. You reap what you sow.
Please -- there isn't a need to be scared of blimps. Cars, trucks, planes, helicopters, ships, satellites, etc. etc. are all used for surveillance. But OH MY GOSH IT'S A TRAVESTY when blimps are also used?
Compared to satellites, blimps are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. I will not be surprised at all if in 10-20 years platforms like this are used for telecommunications regularly. And people won't be scared of them, either.
Oh, and to the Euros telling us 'Mer-cuns how Big Brother-esque we are comparatively, I would say give me a break -- the UK is the most overwhelming surveillance society ever created, and look at what's coming out about Sweden and how Swedes' phone calls have been secretly monitored by their government for decades? Likewise, Australia is pretty Orwellian, and Canada, and... and...