@Yarnage no its an airship an airship. Balloons are simple devices that go up and down in manners like observation balloons and commercial balloons. airships are much larger have engines and are ment for long range travel.
I know your comment was full of sarcasm, but I'm Mr. Pedantic. :)
The gas in an airship is at incredibly low pressure, the "balloon" shape is actually from the way its built with the large metal structural supports. If it got shot, even many times, the gas would leak out extremely slowly.
Not only that, but the gas is lighter than air - the holes would have to on the sides or top for the gas to leak out, if there were at the bottom, nothing would happen.
Not to worry anyway, Engadget's typo of 20,000 miles would put it well out of harm's way!
A Stinger missile can shoot down targets flying at 11,500 feet (3,500 m), and has a range of about 5 miles (8 km), so what would enemy forces in Afghanistan use for a target flying at 20,000 feet?
Well, if it can hit things at 3500 m high, and considering that 85% of Afghanistan is comprised of mountain ranges and with the area of conflict being in average 3000 m, just do the math and see if they can hit something flying at 6000 m (20k ft)
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
I'm wondering how they got round the problem of the ship zapping all over the sky like a released balloon if it gets shot?
@TC its an airSHIP aka has engines and such LOL so it moves via its own power its not a balloon it an airship
@TC You've watched far too many movies and cartoons.
@ajac09 No, it IS a balloon.
@ajac09 oh and to answer the question of it gettting shot the skin is part kevlar part classfied.
@Yarnage no its an airship an airship. Balloons are simple devices that go up and down in manners like observation balloons and commercial balloons. airships are much larger have engines and are ment for long range travel.
@ajac09
No matter which it is... 34mph @ 20,000ft?!
@TC
I know your comment was full of sarcasm, but I'm Mr. Pedantic. :)
The gas in an airship is at incredibly low pressure, the "balloon" shape is actually from the way its built with the large metal structural supports. If it got shot, even many times, the gas would leak out extremely slowly.
Not only that, but the gas is lighter than air - the holes would have to on the sides or top for the gas to leak out, if there were at the bottom, nothing would happen.
Not to worry anyway, Engadget's typo of 20,000 miles would put it well out of harm's way!
@TC LOL thank you :-) I'm still trying to properly imagine how this, and especially the faces of people seeing it, would look like.
@TC
I'd like to wager $100 that this thing gets shot down within a two weeks.
@Plazmic Flame I'll take it. Good luck hitting this thing with an rpg at 20k feet.
On another note, I think it is a lifting body too (hence the "hybrid" airship thing.)
@Plazmic Flame
A Stinger missile can shoot down targets flying at 11,500 feet (3,500 m), and has a range of about 5 miles (8 km), so what would enemy forces in Afghanistan use for a target flying at 20,000 feet?
Keep in mind the theater of operation.
@maty Actually at 20,00 miles it would probably explode in the vacuum.
@LMcClure
Afghanistan is pretty high up, with the highest point 24,557 ft above sea level, and much of it over 10000 ft.
@LMcClure
Well, if it can hit things at 3500 m high, and considering that 85% of Afghanistan is comprised of mountain ranges and with the area of conflict being in average 3000 m, just do the math and see if they can hit something flying at 6000 m (20k ft)
@LMcClure Take off and landing....... It's got to come down sometime.