Gallery: The Blimps of War
 

For seven decades, they were a curiosity, a relic of a lighter-than-air future that never quite came true. But in recent years, airships have once again become a major force in aviation. The Pentagon has gone especially blimp-crazy, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into advanced -- and massive -- surveillance airships that can stay in the sky way longer than any drone. Here are some of the new Blimps of War.

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/wp-c...ii-660x371.jpg

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/wp-c...is-blimp_0.jpg

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/wp-c...altitude_0.jpg

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/wp-c...ntinel80_0.jpg

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/wp-c...war/ptds_0.jpg

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/wp-c...sanswire_0.jpg

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See, the zeppelin is far superior!

Airships going back into widespread use would be awesome, even if they are blimps instead of proper Zeppelins.

<Insert mandatory Crimson Skies reference here> :arrgh!:

HunterICX

I think the major benefit here is that they can act sort of like satellites, only not as expensive.

They can stay up at the very edge of the atmosphere for very long times - and they can change locations at a given notice - not like spy satellites with camera arrays in geostationary orbit.

I think it'd be an interesting platform to mount anti ballistic missile systems on.

Photo from my post that I left out...

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3489008_n.jpg

Simply copying off GWX :O:

For persistent access over non-denied areas, you can't beat an aerostat.

Blimps are awesome, but a good aerostat is also good.

Were I fabulously wealthy, I would live in a zeppelin. My life would be like living inside of a Miyazaki movie!!!

And for no particular reason, I find this amusing and to be added to my post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargolifter_AG