My battalion in the NY Times

[TheCommandTent]

^  *groan*

[LongBlade]

Hopefully with little dive-bombing UAVs landing on them!

LB, you're closer to reality than you might think:  http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/us-army-brings-a-switchblade-to-a-gun-fight-07071/.

I got to see these in action in training back in the states and they are every bit as cool as they sound.

Hmm.

That actually could work out.

Strap a dozen of those switchblades onto a blimp and you have effectively an unlimited loiter time. Things start to heat up, you launch one. Things get hot, you send it in for the kill. I guess it's back to the future!

(BTW, I LOL'd at your wood and coal quip)

[Centurion40]

Yeah man!  A blimp with solar panels could have an almost unlimited time over theatre.  The only tricky bits would be high winds and operating altitude.

[LongBlade]

Yeah man!  A blimp with solar panels could have an almost unlimited time over theatre.  The only tricky bits would be high winds and operating altitude.

And continued air supremacy. These RMAs have a way of evolving. The grand irony might be that we could find ourselves holding the airspace above 5000 feet to ourselves and our big planes while these micro UAVs dogfight it out in miniature... It would be like the WWI air war all over again.

[Longdan]

One thing we have learnt is that the development of military processes is dynamic
and full of surprises.  The thing about surprises is they happen to people who are
overconfident and wedded to past ideas.  Usually the past winners get overthrown
by the innovative underdog.  I do not think I need to draw out the examples.
Nobody seems to stay on top for long.

[Centurion40]

If the Norks start building blimps, I'm gonna get worried.

[Longdan]

The Norks seem committed to making trouble.  They do not need blimps.
The vision of them in Team America seems more realistic all the time.

[Airborne Rifles]

I read an article a few weeks back, can't remember where, that said the Army was deploying blimps (read Zeppilins) equipped with early warning radar to supplement the air defense of Washington DC.

[Longdan]

Let us hope they have primary instead of secondary radar.  Was a problem on 911.

[Centurion40]

I read an article a few weeks back, can't remember where, that said the Army was deploying blimps (read Zeppilins) equipped with early warning radar to supplement the air defense of Washington DC.

Huh.  I didn't see that coming.  UFO defence?  Expecting buzz-bombs?  ???

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Flying Nork Monkeys.

I would make them pyramid shaped in clear plastic. Basically invisible to radar as well as visual.  8)

[GDS_Starfury]

I read an article a few weeks back, can't remember where, that said the Army was deploying blimps (read Zeppilins) equipped with early warning radar to supplement the air defense of Washington DC.

Huh.  I didn't see that coming.  UFO defence?  Expecting buzz-bombs?  ???

radar is limited by its horizon line.  so it follows that an airborne system can see farther ie AWACS.  the problem with AWACS is it costs a lot of money to operate.  blimps make perfect sense to me.



thats a BIG radar array!

[LongBlade]

Ten years? In ten more years we'll invent biplanes!

[Longdan]

It is a good idea if they use the right kind of radar.  If they have enough people trained to use primary as opposed to secondary.

[GDS_Starfury]

Ten years? In ten more years we'll invent biplanes!

thats the range not the design time.