Meet the Homeland Security Blimp

Flying high by 2006.

www.popsci.com...

I cant wait for this baby. Maybe finally we will be able to guard our borders and keep people out.

Sounds like a damn good idea....on paper....

So maybe this is the Super Secret Stealth Blimp revealed!

The explanation of the Phoenix Lights.

Is it just me or does this have big brother written all over it?

This is deffenately going to increase security to the homeland.

Though I'm having second thoughts on the likelyness of it actually being the Stealth Blimp.

I'm gonna do some digging.

[Edited on 4-3-2004 by htown]

Originally posted by Aliceinwonderland
Is it just me or does this have big brother written all over it?

thank goodness for collective consciousness. I was thinking the exact same thing. this thing just cannot be made. there should be no such thing as a mass-produced eye-in-the sky in the land of the so-called free.

ladies and gentlemen, meet homeland security's HORUS (the Homeland's Oppressive and Restrictively Undermining Ship)

and for those of you agents and people who are convinced we need added security, just who do you think this blimp will monitor? Just the borders?

(in that voice)
I
dont
think
so....

[Edited on 3/4/2004 by AlnilamOmega]

actually, if it is an early warning device like said (i know what your thinking, big if) it would probably be well away from our shores. Plus the type of equipment would not be that great for "watching us."

ie. How are they going to track you with radar?

How about strapping on a habitable room and take a mounths vacation up their
the ultamit R.V.

Of course it reeks of Big Brother...but they're already able to watch us with satellites anyhoo....

"You have 15 seconds to comply....."

I remember awhile back seeing on a tv report of a radar blimp that is tethered and hovers a few hundred feet in the air scanning the border for any illegal immigrants and unauthorized flights into u.s airspace.The thing that's working against it is whenever bad weather or high winds coime up it has to be brought down.If the new super blimp flies above most bad weather then it should be able to scan 24/7.

www.wired.com...

When I first read the post header, I thought it was going to be some propaganda or advertising ploy. Like the "Homeland Security" blimp was going to fly around at football games or something.

"This presentation of Superbowl XXXVIV has been brought to you in part by The Department of Homeland Security."

Could you imagine? How Big Brother would that be?

DeltaChaos

Just read this story on one of Yahoo's news pages, regarding several proposals underway.

G. Guy Thomas, a science and technology adviser for the U.S. Coast Guard, said the lighter-than-air craft could carry equipment that would allow homeland security officials to detect approaching ships 500 to 1,000 miles from the coast.

"I know of five different programs out there looking at airships," he said. "I think we're going to see some in the not-so-distant future. We're going to try to team with some people to buy one."

This program appears to be more than just a theoretical deal, as there are several companies apparently seeking to develop airships that could be used for this purpose. Some of these projects would be able to remain aloft for 12 to 18 months at a time between maintenance checks.

This blimp could see some major applictions in Iraq or Afganistan. Imagine a invisible blimp equiped with 100 indepenedent high advanced IR sensors and optics ( like those ones on the spy satelites) flying 18 km over Fallujah and constantly monitoring the area 50 - 70 km in diameter. It would be excelent to find militants (especialy if they are using mortars) or groups preparing for ambushes and then guide aircraft or artilery fire on their positions. The thing will have satelite conection and 100 operators could sit at home in US and watch the territory. And also the airship operation costs would be significantly lower. It could be also grat to guard the US-Mexico borders or search for Osama in Afganistan.