DARPA (the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency, see disclosure note below) is known for going out on a limb with some of its ideas. I am simultaneously intrigued by many of the ideas and research projects they propose (and fund), but also torn by the fact that they are an integral part of the military industrial complex. Moral dilemmas!
Anyhow, as regular readers of this blog might know, I am a fan of airships. There is just something about a floating behemoth and the idea of living in the sky that stirs something deep within me. The particular airborn behemoth that has sparked this post is a spy blimp envisioned by DARPA that appears to be getting the go ahead. This blimp would be the size of a 15-story hotel, float about 17 miles above the ground, and would serve as a comm relay, radar, and scout for the military. The robotic monster could spot enemies on the ground 180 miles away. At the moment the technology appears to be here, but they need funding from one of the armed services.
How long would it stay in the air at a time?
10 years!
Full disclosure: My research is funded by a grant from DARPA under the RADAR project.
