Mr Worf, you know what the best job on the planet is right now? A Lockheed-Martin lobbyist. They manage to wrangle corporate welfare for their company without fail, no matter how magnificently L-M's projects may fail. (I refer you all to the F-22 debacle, because it was as hush-hush as this seems to be.)
On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 7:54 AM, Mr. Worf <hellomahog...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > http://realitypod.com/2010/05/mystery-plane-order/ > Read more: > http://realitypod.com/2010/05/mystery-plane-order/#ixzz0wftfWvom > > Home <http://realitypod.com/> » Military > Tech<http://realitypod.com/category/science_tech/military/>, > Science & Tech <http://realitypod.com/category/science_tech/> » US Army > Orders Lockheed-Martin’s Mystery Airship > US Army Orders Lockheed-Martin’s Mystery Airship > > Posted by admin <http://realitypod.com/author/admin/> on May 2nd, 2010 // 3 > Comments <http://realitypod.com/2010/05/mystery-plane-order/#comments> > > Advertise > Here<http://buysellads.com/buy/detail/26294/zone/1250567?utm_source=site_26294_zone_1250567&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=adhere> > > <http://realitypod.com/2010/05/mystery-plane-order/skunk-works/>Lockheed > Martin Advanced Development Projects is making perhaps the first realistic > tests of a hybrid airship–a concept that dates back many decades but that is > just now being tried at a significant scale. The Skunk Works had secretly > built the craft and hoped for a quiet first flight at its Palmdale, Calif., > facility, but a few passers-by noticed the strange object in the sky. The > Defense Dept. is showing interest in two categories of airships–those that > can carry large cargo at low altitude, exemplified by the Defense Advanced > Research Projects Agency (Darpa) Walrus program, and those that can operate > in high-altitude low-wind conditions and remain on station for long periods > of time. The configuration of the Skunks Works ship indicates it is the > former–a hybrid heavy-load carrier. The interest is across the services and > the notional applications are diverse, ranging from logistics–delivery of an > integrated fighting unit within theater, for example–to sensor, > communications and even laser-weapon relay platforms. But airships aren’t > there yet. Major unresolved issues could derail the airship dream, such as > their traditional delicate ground handling, and possibly prohibitive > economics and vulnerability. These issues have been debated endlessly on > paper, and now Lockheed Martin, a prime airship proponent, is investing to > seek real answers. > > Recentlys! U.S. Army LEMV Program ordered this 21-day endurance, 20K > Altitude Hybrid LTA for AFPAK: > > https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportuni…<https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=8a9576adda671991e001a322c98a6a44&tab=core&tabmode=list&cck=1&au=&ck=> > > A hybrid airship derives most of its lift by being filled with a > lighter-than-air gas such as helium. Overall, it is heavier than air and > gains the final 20% or so of lift by flying like an aircraft, but with slow > takeoff and landing speeds that allow operations from short unprepared > strips. The Skunk Works made the first flight of its “P-791″ testbed on Jan. > 31 at its facility on the Palmdale Air Force Plant 42 airport. The manned > flight was about a 5-min. circuit around the airport in the morning and > appeared to be successful. The company did not announce or want to discuss > the flight. The P-791 is not part of a government contract, but rather an > independent research and development project by the Skunk Works to better > understand airship capabilities and technologies, such as materials, a > company official says. However, it may also be a quarter-scale prototype of > a heavy-lifter. > > TO GAIN MORE SPAN TO ACT LIKE a wing, the P-791 is three pressurized lobes > joined together. An observer of the first flight says it was about the size > of three Fuji blimps blended together. The Fuji blimp, a Skyship 600 model, > is 206 ft. long. That suggests the P-791 would have a gross lift of roughly > 3-5 tons. The observer saw the craft performing very tight 360-deg. turns > while taxiing. It made a brief takeoff roll, climbed to a low altitude, made > a few banks–including a long sweeping turn–then came back and landed. The > landing approach had a nose-down body attitude that levelled for the flare. > The flight was very smooth, the observer says. The craft was flown by P-791 > Chief Test Pilot Eric P. Hansen. The speed of the testbed was estimated at > about 20 kt. A full-scale version would be able to go much faster, over 100 > kt. Lockheed Martin has long proposed a large transport airship, at one time > called the Aerocraft, which was halted around 2000 (AW&ST Feb. 22, 1999, p. > 26). That design was about 800 ft. long and was to carry 1-1.2 million lb. > at 125 kt. The Skunk Works was one of two contractors to receive one-year, > $3-million Darpa contracts in August 2005 to study Walrus. The second Walrus > phase would be a three-year demonstration effort. > > Share85<http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Frealitypod.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fmystery-plane-order%2F&t=US%20Army%20Orders%20Lockheed-Martin%E2%80%99s%20Mystery%20Airship%20%7C%20RealityPod%20%7C%20Gadgets%2C%20Technology%20%26%20Robotics%20Hub&src=sp> > > Read more: > http://realitypod.com/2010/05/mystery-plane-order/#ixzz0wfu2JUTa > > -- > Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! > Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ > > -- "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
