lighter-than-air vehicles - Defense Innovation Marketplace

High-Altitude Long Endurance-Demonstrator (HALE-D)Table 22: HALE-D Program OverviewFigure 35: HALE-D Demonstrator Hovering Outside Hangar 36Vehicle Class: Conventional AirshipPM/POC: Mr. Rick Judy, Army SMDCMission Set: High-Altitude ISR Program Start: 2003Organization(s): U.S. Army SMDC, MDA Technology Readiness Level (TRL): 6Primary Contractor(s): Lockheed Martin Current Status: UnfundedThe HALE-D is a sub-scale technologydemonstrator built by Lockheed Martinunder the management of the Army Spaceand Missile Defense Command’s (SMDC)High- Altitude Airship (HAA) program. TheHAA program has held long-term objectivesto develop an airship capable of carrying apayload of 2,000 lbs. or more above 65,000ft. (MSL) for more than 30 days. TheHALE-D was a step along this path andserved as a demonstrator to test thetechnologies required for long-endurance athigh altitudes. 4The original effort to develop an HAA wasinitiated by the Missile Defense Agency(MDA) in 2003. From the onset, the effortwas intended to result in building both afull-sized airship capable of a one-year loiterabove 65,000 ft. and an initial prototype thatwould have an endurance of one month at60,000 ft. The program was restructured in2005 to develop the prototype alone, and theeffort was transferred to the SMDC in 2008.The resulting HALE-D demonstrator wascompleted in 2011. 37The HALE-D was intended to operate at upto 60,000 ft. MSL for at least 2 weeks(unsuccessful during flight test). The goal ofthe demonstrator was to test high-altitudetechnologies such as the thin-film solararrays for the regenerative power supply, thepropulsion system, and the remote pilotingdata link. The payload used for thedemonstration was minimal, weighing lessthan 50 lbs. and consisting of the followingcomponents: 38ITT Hi-Resolution Electro-OpticalSystem providing near-real-timepointing and captureThales Multi-channel, multi-bandAirborne Radio (MMAR)43