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it is currently disassembled and in storage. The goal of low-altitude airships is to provide longerendurance and ISR persistence over a target area at reduced operational costs compared to HTAvehicles. The Air Force has a low-altitude conventional airship in development (Blue Devil 2),and the Army is developing a low-altitude hybrid airship (LEMV).Heavy-airlift airships are still early in the development stages. Currently, ASD(R&E) and NASAare developing the Pelican as a sub-scale hybrid airship to demonstrate several key technologicaladvancements required to produce a full-scale heavy-airlift airship. The Pelican programhighlights the focus on overcoming technical challenges in new airship technology with respectto the heavy logistics mission. For example, this program is focusing on the development of avariable buoyancy control system, testing new rigid lightweight-composite internal structures,ballast controls, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), forward/aft motion controls, and groundhandling technologies.Figure 29: Altitude (MSL), Endurance, and Payload Size Specification Comparison for ISR AirshipsAlthough the current LEMV airship is intended for ISR applications, design studies on a largerheavy-lift version have recently been completed, though this airlift version is not yet underdevelopment. Numerous other studies have been conducted to assess the requirements andfeasibility of such airships. Estimates have been provided for airships as large as 1,000 ft. inlength by 450 ft. wide to carry payloads up to 1,000 tons; however, nothing to this scale iscurrently in development. Airlift applications can be categorized by the size of the payload andtransport distance required primarily for comparison with traditional aircraft and maritime ships.For example, tactical airlift refers to intra-theater operations carrying 20–30 tons (about thepayload of a C-130 aircraft). Strategic airlift refers to inter-theater airships carrying 50–100 tons(about the average payload of a C-17 inter-theater airlift aircraft). Very large cargo airshipscapable of carrying a few hundred tons would offer greater payloads but have lower speed thanconventional cargo aircraft and lesser payloads but greater speed than cargo ships 238
Figure 30: Size Comparison for Hybrid Airships Required for Various Airlift Applications 2As discussed in the following pages, several airship programs have invested insubscale/demonstrator technologies to ensure that high priority science and technology challengesand risks are addressed prior to full scale system development. Similarly, several airshipsystems act as test platforms to validate payload performance prior to full scale integration.These approaches to airship technology development focus attention on the toughest technologyproblems while ensuring costs are minimized.39
Page 1 and 2: SUMMARY REPORT OF DoD FUNDED LIGHTE
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTSEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Page 5 and 6: Figure 11: Computer Rendering of Al
Page 7 and 8: Table 22: HALE-D Program Overview .
Page 9 and 10: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYIn the Senate repo
Page 11 and 12: for unmanned aerial vehicle and cru
Page 13 and 14: Integrated Sensor Is Structure (ISI
Page 15 and 16: PREFACECongress, through the Senate
Page 17 and 18: PURPOSEThe purpose of this document
Page 19 and 20: INTRODUCTIONBackgroundModern LTA cr
Page 21 and 22: ground, large aerostats are anchore
Page 23 and 24: AirliftAirships, particularly hybri
Page 25 and 26: AEROSTAT PROGRAMSAerostats are air
Page 27 and 28: Aerostat Test Bed (ATB)Table 2: ATB
Page 29 and 30: AltusTable 4: Altus Program Overvie
Page 31 and 32: would otherwise lack organic survei
Page 33 and 34: Table 7: JLENS Technical Specificat
Page 35 and 36: Persistent Ground Surveillance Syst
Page 37 and 38: and advance systems capabilities as
Page 39 and 40: Length: 117 ft.Width: 39 ft.Height:
Page 41 and 42: Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment (
Page 43 and 44: Rapidly Elevated Aerostat Platforms
Page 45 and 46: tether lengths to support different
Page 47 and 48: Length: 26.87 ft.Table 17: STMPAS T
Page 49 and 50: Table 19: TARS Technical Specificat
Page 51: AIRSHIP PROGRAMSDespite the fact th
Page 55 and 56: Table 21: Blue Devil 2 Technical Sp
Page 57 and 58: High-Altitude Long Endurance-Demons
Page 59 and 60: HiSentinelTable 24: HiSentinel Prog
Page 61 and 62: Table 26: Comparison of HiSentinel
Page 63 and 64: Table 28: ISIS Technical Specificat
Page 65 and 66: Table 30: LEMV Technical Specificat
Page 67 and 68: MZ-3AVehicle Class: Conventional Ai
Page 69 and 70: PelicanTable 33: Pelican Program Ov
Page 71 and 72: Figure 53: Illustration Showing Lig
Page 73 and 74: Table 36: Skybus Technical Specific
Page 75 and 76: APPENDICESAppendix A- BalloonsIntro
Page 77 and 78: could be separated from the balloon
Page 79 and 80: Appendix B - Glossary of TermsAAero
Page 81 and 82: ATECAVAWSSBBAAVBCTBLOSCC2C3IC4ISRC5
Page 83 and 84: IFFIPTISRITSJJCTDJIEDDOJMUAJROCJUON
Page 85 and 86: SIGINTSINCGARSSIPRNetSMDBLSMDCSRVSu
Page 87 and 88: Appendix D - References1. The Senat
Page 89 and 90: 43. “Lockheed Martin ISIS”. HIS

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