Airship Proof-of-Concept Evaluation

Abstract : Field tests were conducted off Oregon Inlet, NC, to evaluate the small target detection capability of lookouts on board an airship of modern design and materials and the potential advantages in the use of this type of platform for marine science activities (MSSA) in support of a variety of Coast Guard missions. Visual searches were conducted for small orange-canopied life rafts (4- to 6-man) and simulated persons in the water. MSA experiments investigated the airship's capability to interface with the ocean including air and water sampling from the ocean surface and near surface, remote sensing, and air deployment/recovery of current measuring devices and other instruments. Target and airship positions were monitored with a computer-controlled microwave tracking system providing trackline and detection/miss range reconstruction accuracy to better than 0.1 nautical miles. The very limited size of the detection data base did not permit a complete evaluation of the platform's performance under a wide variety of environmental conditions and in searches for a number of different target types, but it did allow for a first order estimate of small target search performance under good weather conditions. The data indicate that the airship appears to be at least as good as and possibly an even better visual search platform than fixed or rotary wing aircraft used under similar conditions. For MSA use, the airship displayed excellent versatility and adaptability, lending itself well for this type of work.