U.S. Army Plans to Send Giant Spy Blimp to Afghanistan

Ryan Bergez
Watch out Tony Stark. Looks like the S.H.E.I.L.D. Helicarrier :)

great idea; just need better stabilizers; strong wind would create havoc when landing or take-off;
maybe some short wings down it's side,like on ground effects vehicles;
or maybe large delta wing that blimp is fitted into;
hope they can help with controlling drones over Afghanistan @ same time;
also can i borrow couple of bigger blimps,to launch space-shuttle, (these ground launch's are so primitive;),i'll leave key's to ole clonker i have as security,& maybe you can trade with gov; for cash(cash 4 clonkers)lol

While this is AWESOME, I can't help that it would be slightly conspicuous. One well place rocket could knock it out of the sky. It will also be extremely hard to protect while on the ground and taking off.
How much will this cost to develop? Is this truly where we need to be spending our money while our schools are struggling to keep students coming to class? I foresee a future in which nearly every engineering company in America is founded, based, and staffed in a foreign country, because that will be the only place they can get qualified workers.

is that 20,000 agl or true altitude? This seems an interesting alternative to satellite with definite benefits but is it vulnerable to attack by surface to air weapons?

"(these ground launch's are so primitive;)" Jumpstart a scramjet or heck even a ramjet with magleve ;)

and who exactly in *afghanistan* has guided anti-aircraft ordinance that can hit accurately from 20,000+ feet? despite military countermeasures? nobody.

If the LEMV is twice the size as the P-791, will its theme song be twice as bombastic? What could they possibly add to that music, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and cannons?

Um...if it's autonomous, why does it need a cockpit? Just asking...

ok.. no joke.... the profile of this airship matches hudreds of unconfirmed UFO sightings.... i guess that explains them... srry all you conspiracy theorists out there... jus not ur day!!

It has been shown many times in competition that you can build a one off throwaway easily in an American garage that could almost hit that altitude. Betcha the Marines are laughing their butts off, lookin at this thing.

If this ever does make it into the military inventory the description acronym will already give it a name.

Free Flying, Autonomous, Tetherless, Airship, Surveillence, Standoff.

Yes, our enemies will cower in fear when they see our F.A.T.A.S.S. is approaching.

I guess I need to call Lockheed Martin when I decide to get one to travel around the world in. Anyone know where I should order my yellow submarine from?

These will be great for supplementing FedEX after they build enough, huh? They can drop a ton of freight or more into your parking lot without transferring to a semi, which makes shipping much more efficient. I can see these being used to lift and ferry cargo. They were used in WWII effectively, without getting shot down. (Answering other's concerns.) And they are kept back from the front lines, and only parked over cleared territory. But they need a patrol of fighter jets to visit them around the clock, and I'm SURE on-board air-to-air is included, just in case...so they are not helpless, besides electronic jamming, the whole 9 yards. HEY, ever played Red Alert 3? The blimps are the LAST weapon that can be knocked down before doing major damage, in that war game. Hummm.