OVERWATCH
12-13-2005, 01:06 AM
High Altitude Airship
HAA
DESCRIPTION:
The Lockheed Martin High Altitude Airship, an unmanned lighter-than-air vehicle, will operate above the jet stream in a quasi-geostationary position to deliver persistent stationkeeping as a telecommunications relay, a weather observer, or a surveillance platform.
This updated concept of a proven technology takes lighter-than-air vehicles into a realm that gives users capabilities on par with satellites at a fraction of the cost. In position, an airship would survey a 700-mile diameter area and millions of cubic miles of airspace.
Many of the vital technologies have matured to a point that they are ready for system integration. High-strength fabrics to minimize hull weight, thin-film solar arrays for regenerative power supply, and lightweight propulsion units are key technologies ready to make a high-flying airship a reality. The combination of photovoltaic and advanced energy storage systems delivers the necessary power to perform the airship functions.
Propulsion units will maintain the airship's geostationary position above the jet stream, propel it aloft and guide its takeoff and landing during ascent and descent. Lighter-than-air vehicles, operating at altitudes above controlled airspace, give users the flexibility to change payload equipment to perform different tasks when the airship returns to its operational base under the control of a manned ground station.
Lockheed Martin's unique experience with certificating commercial airships with the FAA gives it the understanding to address the concerns of flight through controlled airspace, especially with an unmanned airship. Lockheed Martin, Akron, received its first production contract for a lighter-than-air vehicle in 1928. Since that time, Lockheed Martin has built more than 300 airships and several thousand aerostats (an unmanned ground-tethered blimp). The Lockheed Martin Airdock, which is 1,175 feet long, 325 feet wide and 211 feet high, may serve as a final assembly facility.
Lockheed Martin is currently in Phase 2 of a contract awarded by the Missile Defense Agency. The contract's performance goals for the prototype HAA that Lockheed Martin will develop include sustained operations for one month at 65,000 feet while providing 10 kilowatts of power to a 4,000-pound payload. The prototype airship and facility will become part of the Ballistic Missile Defense System Test Bed following the successful demonstration in 2007.
Its utility as a mobile, re-taskable, high-altitude, geostationary, long-endurance platform will span from communications and weather/environmental monitoring to short and long range missile warning, surveillance, and target acquisition. Additionally, the HAA prototype will demonstrate station-keeping and autonomous flight control capabilities. Lockheed Martin assembled a team of industry leaders in autonomous control systems, regenerative power systems, envelope material and systems integration to develop its HAA solution.
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=14477&rsbci=0&fti=126&ti=0&sc=400
The blimp will hover above the jet stream at an altitude of 65,000 feet for months at a time and will also have the ability to detect low-flying missiles that may have slipped underneath ground-based radars. Once operational, it will be an important early-detection element of the broader U.S. missile defense architecture. It may also add as a weather surveyor and telecom relay.
There are a number of challenges associated with an effort of this nature.
Solar cells and an advanced fuel cells that can deliver up to 500 kW must be developed to power the craft. An aerodynamic design and a control system must be developed to help keep the airship steady amid the high winds at that altitude, without consuming excessive power. Another important factor is determining how the airship would react to changing temperatures as the sun rises and sets every day, heating and cooling the helium. Then there's the major challenge of finding materials for the airship's skin that are capable of withstanding the extreme ultraviolet radiation at such high altitudes for extended periods without becoming brittle.
http://www.defensetech.org/
HAA
DESCRIPTION:
The Lockheed Martin High Altitude Airship, an unmanned lighter-than-air vehicle, will operate above the jet stream in a quasi-geostationary position to deliver persistent stationkeeping as a telecommunications relay, a weather observer, or a surveillance platform.
This updated concept of a proven technology takes lighter-than-air vehicles into a realm that gives users capabilities on par with satellites at a fraction of the cost. In position, an airship would survey a 700-mile diameter area and millions of cubic miles of airspace.
Many of the vital technologies have matured to a point that they are ready for system integration. High-strength fabrics to minimize hull weight, thin-film solar arrays for regenerative power supply, and lightweight propulsion units are key technologies ready to make a high-flying airship a reality. The combination of photovoltaic and advanced energy storage systems delivers the necessary power to perform the airship functions.
Propulsion units will maintain the airship's geostationary position above the jet stream, propel it aloft and guide its takeoff and landing during ascent and descent. Lighter-than-air vehicles, operating at altitudes above controlled airspace, give users the flexibility to change payload equipment to perform different tasks when the airship returns to its operational base under the control of a manned ground station.
Lockheed Martin's unique experience with certificating commercial airships with the FAA gives it the understanding to address the concerns of flight through controlled airspace, especially with an unmanned airship. Lockheed Martin, Akron, received its first production contract for a lighter-than-air vehicle in 1928. Since that time, Lockheed Martin has built more than 300 airships and several thousand aerostats (an unmanned ground-tethered blimp). The Lockheed Martin Airdock, which is 1,175 feet long, 325 feet wide and 211 feet high, may serve as a final assembly facility.
Lockheed Martin is currently in Phase 2 of a contract awarded by the Missile Defense Agency. The contract's performance goals for the prototype HAA that Lockheed Martin will develop include sustained operations for one month at 65,000 feet while providing 10 kilowatts of power to a 4,000-pound payload. The prototype airship and facility will become part of the Ballistic Missile Defense System Test Bed following the successful demonstration in 2007.
Its utility as a mobile, re-taskable, high-altitude, geostationary, long-endurance platform will span from communications and weather/environmental monitoring to short and long range missile warning, surveillance, and target acquisition. Additionally, the HAA prototype will demonstrate station-keeping and autonomous flight control capabilities. Lockheed Martin assembled a team of industry leaders in autonomous control systems, regenerative power systems, envelope material and systems integration to develop its HAA solution.
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=14477&rsbci=0&fti=126&ti=0&sc=400
The blimp will hover above the jet stream at an altitude of 65,000 feet for months at a time and will also have the ability to detect low-flying missiles that may have slipped underneath ground-based radars. Once operational, it will be an important early-detection element of the broader U.S. missile defense architecture. It may also add as a weather surveyor and telecom relay.
There are a number of challenges associated with an effort of this nature.
Solar cells and an advanced fuel cells that can deliver up to 500 kW must be developed to power the craft. An aerodynamic design and a control system must be developed to help keep the airship steady amid the high winds at that altitude, without consuming excessive power. Another important factor is determining how the airship would react to changing temperatures as the sun rises and sets every day, heating and cooling the helium. Then there's the major challenge of finding materials for the airship's skin that are capable of withstanding the extreme ultraviolet radiation at such high altitudes for extended periods without becoming brittle.
http://www.defensetech.org/