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Army Places $517 Million Order on Football Field-Sized Airships to Gather Intel in Afghanistan

The U.S. Army has previously expressed interest in LEMVs, giant, optionally unmanned airships with formidable intelligence-gathering capabilities and the ability to hover at 20,000 feet for up to 3 weeks; now, they’ve signed a $517 million contract with defense industry manufacturer Northrop Grumman to build as many as three of them, to be deployed over Afghanistan by the end of 2011.

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In its press release, Northrop Grumman describes the LEMVs as a valuable source of ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance], and as plugging into “the Army’s existing common ground station command centers and ground troops in forward operating bases.”

Space.com specs it out:

A LEMV would also have the capability to carry a 2,500-pound (1,113 kg) payload, and still zip along at 92 mph (148 kph) if necessary. The 302-foot (92-meter) airship would typically have a cruising speed of just 34 mph (54.7 kph).

That represents a staying power for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance over a longer period of time than what today’s robotic drones such as the Predator or Reaper can provide.

Despite its blimplike appearance, the LEMV is in fact a heavier-than-air vehicle; however, the lightweight gas it carries allows it to stay aloft longer per unit of fuel.

(h/t Space.com)

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