It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
The Walrus operational vehicle (OV) is intended to carry a payload of 500-1,000 tons (that's 1-2 million pounds) up to 12,000 nautical miles, in less than seven days
Originally posted by ShadowXIX
The biggest draw back to the Cargo blimp concept is its vulnerability. Lets face it, its while faster then a ocean cargo ship still a large slow moving target waiting for a SAM to knock it out of the sky. I'm sure we all remember the Hindenberg
.
Originally posted by ShatteredSkies
It was cancelled but didn't fail? There's a contradiction.
When I said failed, didn't mean the design failed, I meant it failed to become a reality because it was cancelled.
The two tend to go together.
Shattered OUT...
Originally posted by ShatteredSkies
True, but sometimes I like to think my government is working for me not against me, and when they say something is cancelled, I'll take it and not question their tactics. Anything they do SHOULD be for my safety. That's a government's job, to protect it's citizens.
Now, there is always that hint of conspiracy, but I for one would rather not get tangled up in conspiracy, paranoia can get the best of a level-headed person.
Shattered OUT...
Originally posted by northwolf
It offers plenty advantages, specially in low intensity conflict. Long loitering observation/recon platform is ideally suited to monitor insurgent activity. With Mini hellfire sized weapons, a single blimb could cover a large area and render it unusable for any insurgent activity
Originally posted by ShadowXIX
I've been thinking more about how effective a recon stealth platform this could be. A stealth neutrally buoyant aircraft or lighter then air craft could be made much smaller then the massive transport versions. It could reach amazing altitudes have long loiter times and could even be developed as a unmanned platform.
This could even be better then spy satellites. I would imagine it could be made much cheaper then a military satellite and would be able to hang above a target for long periods of time. With the exception of Geocentric satellites that's something even the best ones cant do.
If you wanted you could even develop one of these neutrally buoyant aircraft with a ionic propulsion device if you wanted complete acoustic stealth. Though I would imagine you would need a small nuclear reactor if you wanted to do that.
Originally posted by ShadowXIX
Radar stealth
So now depending on how far the electro-optical camouflage is we are very close to having a undectable Airship the last great hurdle is Radar stealth. I'm no expert in this field so I could be wrong but I think its possible to create a stealth blimp with a current stealth tech. For example with a Blimp and the speeds it will fly at you are going to have a much greater variety of shapes you can use in construction. I don't see any reason why the balloon section cant be made in a diamond shape which seems (Hopeless Diamond) to be darn near ideal for stealth.Im sure there would be other hurdles but I don't see it as a impossible problem. I know there are people on ATS that know a lot more about Stealth then me so I would love to here peoples input on the subject.