>leaks hundreds of tons of helium a year
with the very real possibility of peak helium due to helium reserves being effectively a fossil fuel, its not a very efficient use of resources
Maybe. As a way of incredibly energy efficient drones, why not.
They're too easy to shoot down though, to be really effective they need to fly above 5km, be incredibly cheap and probably somewhat stealthy.
It still won't do against enemy that has air superiority, but in situations where sky is controlled or at least contested by you they can become very devastating tool.
Maybe autocannons would be too much, but my answer is – American MIC is clinically incapable of being cheap.
They already have a bunch of overpiced drones that fulfill those roles, so there's just no chance that they could create something that would do the same, but cheaper.
anon, blimp looking UAVs have been employed in modern conflict zones by conventional adversaries for years now >>see, PTDS Persistent Threat Detection System
There are certainly some applications for blimps as HAPSs. They could be pretty useful as cheaper, more mobile and more easily deployable satellites.
>The project will conduct flight demonstrations for three types of complementary stratospheric platforms: >A reduced-scale Stratobus from Thales Alenia Space, a solar-powered airship designed for long-endurance missions and offering large payload capacity ; >A Hybrid High Altitude Airship (HHAA or tactical HAPS) from CIRA, capable of generating extra lift with a wing airfoil ; >An Autonomous Stratospheric Balloon System (ASBaS) from ESG and TAO consisting of a series of three altitude-controllable balloons. >These platforms will test a range of missions, including lidar observation to detect and classify targets at sea or on land, and for the latter the ability to detect them in environments with vegetation cover. COMmunications intelligence (COMINT) and electronic intelligence (ELINT) missions will also be tested, as well as a meshed broadband communications network for air and land players. >HAPS offer a new opportunity to complement ground-based, satellite-based or airborne assets with unique capabilities tailored to operational requirements. The stratosphere is a domain largely ignored until now that supports very-long-duration missions — up to one year — at relatively low altitudes (about 20 km), thus affording excellent resolution for observation missions and robust link budgets for communications missions.
>leaks hundreds of tons of helium a year
with the very real possibility of peak helium due to helium reserves being effectively a fossil fuel, its not a very efficient use of resources
Just use hydrogen bro
>hydrogen blimp
what could possibly go wrong
>OH THE HUMANITY!
>Hydrogen goes up.
>Hydrogen flames go up.
>Hydrogen flames makes no smoke.
>Blimps slowly bump the ground in a crash.
Now let me put you in an aluminum tube full of jet fuel going at 900km/s.
They don't leak if you build 'em right
>Chinese military blimp
I see
It's unmanned, they can use hydrogen.
it's like 10~ feet long, maybe a bit longer since it's only a bit longer than a lane of road
Anon, that's a runway
Maybe. As a way of incredibly energy efficient drones, why not.
They're too easy to shoot down though, to be really effective they need to fly above 5km, be incredibly cheap and probably somewhat stealthy.
It still won't do against enemy that has air superiority, but in situations where sky is controlled or at least contested by you they can become very devastating tool.
Why didn't Americans teabag Afghans with balloon drones armed with autocannons and guided bombs, PrepHole?
Maybe autocannons would be too much, but my answer is – American MIC is clinically incapable of being cheap.
They already have a bunch of overpiced drones that fulfill those roles, so there's just no chance that they could create something that would do the same, but cheaper.
That's clearly a giant Tic Tac, the glowies can't trick me.
anon, blimp looking UAVs have been employed in modern conflict zones by conventional adversaries for years now
>>see, PTDS Persistent Threat Detection System
Blimps are only good to train paratroopers cheaply and quick
But is it another boring spy balloon?
I unironically believe they could be used offensively
chinks gonna go on a spergout now, because a satellite watched them?
There are certainly some applications for blimps as HAPSs. They could be pretty useful as cheaper, more mobile and more easily deployable satellites.
>The project will conduct flight demonstrations for three types of complementary stratospheric platforms:
>A reduced-scale Stratobus from Thales Alenia Space, a solar-powered airship designed for long-endurance missions and offering large payload capacity ;
>A Hybrid High Altitude Airship (HHAA or tactical HAPS) from CIRA, capable of generating extra lift with a wing airfoil ;
>An Autonomous Stratospheric Balloon System (ASBaS) from ESG and TAO consisting of a series of three altitude-controllable balloons.
>These platforms will test a range of missions, including lidar observation to detect and classify targets at sea or on land, and for the latter the ability to detect them in environments with vegetation cover. COMmunications intelligence (COMINT) and electronic intelligence (ELINT) missions will also be tested, as well as a meshed broadband communications network for air and land players.
>HAPS offer a new opportunity to complement ground-based, satellite-based or airborne assets with unique capabilities tailored to operational requirements. The stratosphere is a domain largely ignored until now that supports very-long-duration missions — up to one year — at relatively low altitudes (about 20 km), thus affording excellent resolution for observation missions and robust link budgets for communications missions.