Skunkworks secret Airship Revealed

Nice pic, it looks pretty cool but wouldnt it be a waste of money to build one because it looks like its gonna be a big target

It's going to be for Frieght mostly, you really should read the entire thread before making a comment mmkay.

Originally posted by noobius0ne
Nice pic, it looks pretty cool but wouldnt it be a waste of money to build one because it looks like its gonna be a big target

LTAs would be mostly for transport.

Seeing as how the US has complete and udder control of the worlds oceans and skys, I doubt they would ever be at a high risk.

Of course, there are military uses for them, such as unmanned high loiter recon platforms. There are also talks of using such an airship in the ballistic missle defense sytem as either a radar outpost, a platform for long range anti-missle weapons, or - more radically - to use a mirror to bounce a laser off.

Beyond that, don't you think the US military would consider the risks involved in using an airship?

Do you really think the DoD, with thousands of highly qualified employees would make such an error when it is obvious to little old you (no offense buddy, just think a little bit).

Originally posted by Sugarlump
But as a theater transport and recon platform LTA (lighter than air vehicles) would be a major asset.

Originally posted by Bhadhidar
Of course, given so much surface area, you're trading speed and maneuverability (never the strong points for LTA's) for lift and/or longevity.

Originally posted by American Mad Man
LTA's would be mostly for transport.

I just wanted to point out something...many of you seem to be throwing around LTA...This is not Lighter than Air...Its Heavier Than Air (HTA)...Which makes it easier to control when your on the ground, or close to the ground. I believe the HAA is Lighter than Air, which is why it will be able to stay 70k feet up for months at a time.

Murcielago, you intrigue me. The image you showed appears, to my eyes, certainly lighter than air but you tell us it isn't. Without wings, rotors or rocket engines how then does it fly?

ps please don't say 'anti grav'


edit; I just saw this

air or ground operations including the ability to off-load payload without taking on-board ballast other than surrounding air. In distinct contrast to earlier generation airships, the Walrus aircraft will be a heavier-than-air vehicle and will generate lift through a combination of aerodynamics, thrust vectoring and gas buoyancy generation and management.

It would appear that it uses bouyancy to take it to the brink of being lighter than air but then employs the other methods to achieve actual flight. Answered my own question


[edit on 8-2-2006 by waynos]

All I have to say is Wow.. That's pretty cool stuff..
But Waynos.. Go back and check out the pic again.. there is two huge fans.. One on either side of the aircraft...

Now my question is.. Would this thing be used at high altitudes? for slow recon passes? When I say High altitudes.. I mean.. Extremely high..

Originally posted by Ox
All I have to say is Wow.. That's pretty cool stuff..
But Waynos.. Go back and check out the pic again.. there is two huge fans.. One on either side of the aircraft...

Now my question is.. Would this thing be used at high altitudes? for slow recon passes? When I say High altitudes.. I mean.. Extremely high..

No, the Walrus is purely for Freight Purposes. This link below has a good breakdown of the various types in the works right now.

www.space.com...

Ox, yes I saw the fans but that was my point, if it is loaded up with freight there is no way that the power of the fans would be enough to lift it, why do you think no VTOL airliners were built despite the enthusiasm with which they were designed in the 1960's.

I now see that the weight of the load, plus a degree of the craft itself is counteracted by bouyancy leaving the fans etc with much less to do. It sounds like one of those things that is so simple you wonder why nobody tried it decades ago.

Ok.. sorry .. Now I feel like a bit of a fool.. never mind

Originally posted by American Mad Man

LTAs would be mostly for transport.

Seeing as how the US has complete and udder control of the worlds oceans and skys, I doubt they would ever be at a high risk.

Of course, there are military uses for them, such as unmanned high loiter recon platforms. There are also talks of using such an airship in the ballistic missle defense sytem as either a radar outpost, a platform for long range anti-missle weapons, or - more radically - to use a mirror to bounce a laser off.

Beyond that, don't you think the US military would consider the risks involved in using an airship?

Do you really think the DoD, with thousands of highly qualified employees would make such an error when it is obvious to little old you (no offense buddy, just think a little bit).

yeah you're right I should of thought about the risks and how these things are gonna be mostly used as transports, it would be really stupid to actually send these things into combat

Sorry to revive an old thread but I thought I'd just post this photo which is posted on Airliners.net.



If the information is correct it was taken on the 20th November 2006 so maybe LockMart are still test flying this one even though WALRUS has been cancelled.

gfad - ...umm, you posted a picture of the "Airliners.net" banner...

but I wouldn't be suprised at all by this...they spent the money to design and build it...why not test it fully, and see what kind of data you end up with...Airships have taken some big hits in the past couple years...but there not down and out...lockheed is currently building the HAA...But it will be more then a year before it goes up.

Sorry the link worked when I posted it. This should work now:
www.airliners.net...

this type of craft would be excellent in delivering relief supplies
in areas where the roads bridges & infrastructure was destroyed by
some catastrophe (tsunami, earthquake,etc)

if it were available during the month long war in Lebanon
it would have served nicely in that circumstance too. where the IDF
cluster bombed the civilian areas so no ground vehicles could deliver food/shelter/medical for some weeks...
any relief supplies were from a distance, as the airports were bombed & rendered useless too.

One of the first deployments & use of this concept craft might be for UN or RedCross relief efforts, this would provide a live-test action and familiarize the public with these new delivery systems

I think Airships have huge potential...but theres just soooo many people that immediatly think "Hindenburg".

They would work great for high altitude recon, and there endurance is second only to satellites....but there much cheaper then sats, and can be upgraded. and transport...would be a very big market, you could turn some into flying hospitals, and then could bounce around to different spots in africa and other countries. and yeah, would be great for disasters to, you can find a lot of uses for a heavy lift vehicle that doesn't require roads or runways.

BTW, cool pic.

reply to post by Murcielago


"Black" hybrid aerospace craft of the almost-lighter-than-air type, gas filled -- but hypersonic-shaped with carbon-fiber skins -- have been flying ops for years now, from ground to over 100,000 feet, and possibly to and from earth orbit and beyond. This project is lower-tech, of limited use, and possibly a cover.

LM's new video about P-791, you can see the cockpit etc..
www.youtube.com...

Originally posted by Anonymous ATS
reply to post by Murcielago

 

"hypersonic-shaped with carbon-fiber skins -- have been flying ops for years now, from ground to over 100,000 feet, and possibly to and from earth orbit and beyond. This project is lower-tech, of limited use, and possibly a cover.

Why would any craft be "hypersonic -shaped" if its designed to be used a LTA cargo transport?

reply to post by Scramjet76


The hypersonic "airships", If They Exist, are not used for general cargo transport; they would be in use for rapid, covert, transport of high priority cargo (and/or personnel) to (mainly) off-planet (ie., low Earth orbit) assets.


And, unless I miss my guess, these vehicles are not your typical gas-bags either; they might be more accurately called "Vacuum Cell" LTA's.

Anon ATS was suggesting that many of these other airships are being allowed to make public appearances as a plausible cover for the "hypers".


Which would confirm many of the suspicions I had had while working on a contracted project for the USAF BattleLab years ago.

Here is another company with similar hybrid airship concept. There is at least four companies who have similar projects underway.. let's hope they will have succes.

Aero Vehicles Inc - Search and Rescue (SAR)
www.youtube.com...

Aero Vehicles Inc - Disaster/Humanitarian Aid and Mobile Medical Facility
www.youtube.com...

Aero Vehicles Inc - Combating and Controlling Wild Fires
www.youtube.com...