Old Becomes New...Airships are out of the Box

Abstract : Over the next decade, the transformation of the U.S. military will continue at a rapid pace. Homeland defense, terrorist threats, near-competitor nation states, the spread of high technology weapons, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction make it imperative that our military develops new technologies to transform itself into an organization capable of countering these threats. One emerging technology being demonstrated is actually an innovative use of an old technology - airships. Combining the old airship concepts with modern sensors and communications equipment transforms these ideas into the emerging technology of a high altitude airship (HAA). This article describes the capabilities of the HAA: its military utility as an alternative to Space platforms (such as satellites) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), its potential as a communication relay, and its possible use by other government agencies.