Blimps in Space (Almost)

Lockheed wins a Pentagon contract to build a high-altitude blimp aimed at testing missile warning systems.

After two years on the drawing board, an experimental, unmanned blimp designed to float in “near space” to help the U.S. military test missile warning systems is now set to take shape in a hangar in Akron, Ohio.

The United States’ Missile Defense Agency on Thursday awarded defense contractor Lockheed Martin $150 million to build a prototype of its high-altitude airship, a 400-feet long, solar-powered, and sensor-laden blimp. The aircraft will float in the outer fringes of the atmosphere, high above rough weather and the jet stream.

With a maiden flight projected for 2009, the airship is part of a U.S. military plan to test how well airships can perform as geostationary platforms for short- and long-range missile warning systems. Hovering at 65,000 feet, below satellites, but much higher than most aircraft, a reusable high-altitude aircraft could also help with communications as well as weather surveillance. The catch phrase in the Pentagon for such aircraft is “near space.”

There’s renewed interest in so-called lighter-than-air aircraft in military circles, not only as sensor platforms, but also for moving cargo, said Bradley Curran, a defense industry analyst with Frost & Sullivan. The blimps are cheaper, more responsive, and “avoid many of the hassles and waiting involved with more traditional… space and aircraft,” Mr. Curran said.

Kate Dunlap, a Lockheed Martin spokesperson, said that technological advances in the material used to construct the airship’s hull make the new vessels possible. The ingredients of the composite fabrics are a Lockheed secret, Ms. Dunlap said, but they are lighter and stronger than the fabrics that covered the skeletons of earlier airships. State-of-the-art solar panels will deliver the power to the airship that will allow it to stay aloft for one month.

But not all the technology problems facing such blimps have been solved, said Fred Edworthy, vice president of Aeros Aeronautical Systems in Tarzana, California, which builds high-altitude airships for the South Korean government.

“You’ve got these 12-hour nights,” Mr. Edworthy said. “How do you store power to keep your propellers going to fight against the winds?” Fuel cell technology is not yet up to the job, he said, and lithium ion batteries add weight to the blimp.

As any blimp enthusiast can testify, lighter-than-air aircraft have been going in and out of fashion for decades. While this may be a hot time for airships, Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with Teal Group, an aerospace and defense industry analyst firm in Fairfax, Virginia, is skeptical. His doubts flow more from the source of the money behind the high-altitude airship than the airship itself.

“[The Missile Defense Agency] is a vast collecting tank for very well-funded ideas,” he said. “But no one is close to deploying anything useful.”

GlobeTel's Wholly Owned Subsidiary Sanswire Networks LLC Announces Successful Demonstration of Military Prototype Airship

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 2005--GlobeTel Communications Corp. (AMEX:GTE) today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Sanswire Networks LLC, has successfully completed its planned demonstration flight of its military prototype airship. The flight consisted of two military prototypes of varied size, both of which were flown for the benefit of a number of approved senior military and national security officials. The flights took place at the Sanswire facility in Palmdale, California, on Nov. 15, 2005.

The design of the military version airship is of a unique and proprietary nature and has been designed to meet specific requirements of certain military and government needs. These airships complement and share much of the underlying technology of the suite of near-space vehicles currently being developed for commercial applications. The airships flown today have been designated "Sky Dragon."

The first flight took place Tuesday morning on November 15th at 10:30 am PST and the second flight occurred later in the day. The airships performed exactly as expected, with exceptional results. The controlled-access event was attended by 25 VIPs, U.S. Government guests representing, among others, the U.S. Air Force, Department of Homeland Security, NASA, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army, FEMA, and other distinguished invitees.

Sky Dragon was assembled at the Palmdale facility and test flown multiple times prior to the event. The Sanswire team, together with Sanswire's strategic partners, Dr. Bernd Kroeplin and Tao Technologies, in cooperation with University of Stuttgart in Germany, managed and hosted the demonstration.

Bob Jones, President of Sanswire Networks LLC, commented: "We are extremely pleased with the results of this event. The prototype performed flawlessly and our guests were very pleased with the significant progress that has been made since the platforms were initially presented. The visiting dignitaries also expressed great pleasure at the design and products available in the Sanswire High-Altitude Airship Program. The airships that were demonstrated today were designed specifically for specialized military and governmental applications. A number of senior-level decision makers within the government commented that these successful demonstrations represent mature steps in the evolution of Sanswire's overall airship program; and, I could not be more pleased with their enthusiasm. This event marks our commitment in providing performance and capability to our customers as promised."

Timothy Huff, CEO of GlobeTel, added: "We have made significant strides in our airship program and within our business units, in general. I am pleased that GlobeTel and our subsidiaries are performing as expected and I look forward to the continued acceleration of our business growth. The success of the military version of our high-altitude airship is another important milestone in the evolution of our Sanswire program. I am very pleased, but not surprised, by the successful outcome of this event."

Dr. Kroeplin confirmed as well: "It was an honor to present this technology to our distinguished guests. The response to the technology and the flight demonstration was exciting and very well received. We will continue to develop other types of `specialmission' air vehicles - in cooperation with our partner, Sanswire. I believe there is much we can do in the very near term, which can benefit our world."

Sanswire's military version airships can operate within an altitude range of between 5,000 and 70,000 feet AGL, with varying payloads. A Stratellite, by contrast, is similar to a satellite, but is stationed in the stratosphere rather than in orbit, and operates at an altitude of approximately 13 miles. At an altitude of 10 to 13 miles above the Earth, each Stratellite will have clear line-of-sight communications capability to an entire major metropolitan area, as well as being able to provide coverage across major rural areas. Sanswire 2 is currently under construction and is expected to be completed and operational, as planned. Several Stratellites linked together have the ability to cover many hundreds of thousands of square miles. The Stratellite will allow subscribers to easily communicate in "both directions" using readily available wireless devices. In addition to voice and data, other telecommunications uses include cellular, 3G/4G mobile, MMDS, paging, fixed wireless telephony, HDTV, real-time surveillance and others.

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