Old Technology May Be Perfect Surveillance Solution

By ANN Correspondent Kevin "Hognose" O'Brien

The DC skies, bereft of anything but airline and military traffic since September, 2001, yesterday saw a new silhouette, or perhaps it would be better to say the return of an old silhouette: the blimp.

The non-rigid dirigible certainly wasn't being flown on a civilian jaunt. Instead, it represented a ratcheting up of the governmental Fear Factor: the Blimp was an Army-leased machine, testing the latest surveillance and observation technology and techniques.

This particular blimp was manufactured by American Blimp Corporation of Hillsboro, OR, which has been trying to sell blimps for surveillance for many years. Of course, one of the prime uses of blimps -- TV coverage and advertising at sporting events -- has been all but banned, forcing ABC to find new markets or perish.

The Washington flights were part of the Army's tests. Of course, aerial surveillance could be a valuable anti-terrorist tool.

The Army, Air Force and intelligence agencies have been using aerostats -- unmanned, tethered blimp-like balloons -- extensively overseas and in the southern USA. While an aerostat can provide dependable point coverage, a blimp can reposition itself and cover several points.

The US military is no stranger to blimps, of course, but it's been a while. The Navy operated the nonrigid airships during and after World War II to hunt submarines. Now they might be back -- and this time, in the Army -- after taking some fifty years off.

FMI: www.americanblimp.com