On Friday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, will launch a giant drone-hunting blimp over Maryland’s Aberdeen Proving Grounds just east of Washington D.C. The system includes a 242-foot balloon (technically called an aerostat because it’s connected to the ground) that can stay up for a month at a time and a radar to detect — among other potential threats— drones.
Category Archives: Lighter Than Air
Ohio Buys ‘Blimp in a Box’ for Surveillance
The Ohio Department of Transportation spent $180,000 on a “blimp in a box” that officials say could be used by a number of state agencies and its first mission could be to keep watch over two Warren County prisons. The device is a tethered, unmanned helium balloon that monitors an area via cameras for as long as three days at a time.
CBP Launches Tethered Aerostat System in Puerto Rico
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Air and Marine Operations officially launched last Friday the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) within its previous location in the southwestern coast of the island of Puerto Rico. Continue reading
Northrop Grumman/HAV-Developed Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) Reappears as HAV Airlander
A 300-foot-long aircraft originally developed for, by then dropped by, the US Army was recently re-unveiled in Great Britain as the world’s largest aircraft. The HAV 304 “Airlander” is an amalgamation of airship, airplane, helicopter and hovercraft features, and is referred to as a hybrid air vehicle. Continue reading
Persistent Threat Detection System Surpassed 1 Million Airborne Mission Hours
The Lockheed Martin-built and maintained Persistent Threat Detection System (PTDS) has surpassed 1 million airborne mission hours of providing around-the-clock, 360-degree monitoring and force protection for coalition forces in theatre. Continue reading
ADS Inc. to Distribute Blimp in a Box Aerostat Systems
Lighter Than Air Systems Corp. (“LTAS”), a wholly owned subsidiary of World Surveillance Group Inc. , a developer of lighter-than-air aerostats and unmanned aerial systems, has entered into a distributor agreement with U.S. Government prime contractor ADS, Inc. (“ADS”) to distribute Blimp in a Box aerostat systems (“BiB”) and related sustainment equipment. Continue reading
Top I Vision Gets $2.8M Contract in Africa
Top I Vision has been awarded a contract for supplying airborne intelligence systems to a country in Africa with a value of more than 10 million NIS ($2.8 million). Continue reading
Aeroscraft Damaged by Collapsed Hangar Roof
Airship maker Aeros is still in a holding pattern, waiting to know for sure whether its prototype Aeroscraft is repairable after a hangar collapsed on it earlier this month. Continue reading