Blue Devil (blimp)
Encyclopedia
The Blue Devil is a proposed reconnaissance airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
that will be built for the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
and for use in the War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
. It is designed to capture and process data from onboard sensors before delivering it to ground troops.
Spy capabilities
The blimp will be equipped up to a dozen sensors, including listening devices, video cameras for use both during the day and at night, communications equipment and a system known as the "wide-area airborne surveillance system," which uses several cameras to film areas several square miles in size, similar to the Gorgon StareGorgon Stare
Gorgon Stare is the name given to a new video capture technology developed by the United States military. It is a spherical array of nine cameras attached to an aerial drone...
system. The sensor equipment is to be supplied by Mav6 LLC. To process the data collected, which would ordinarily be transmitted to analysts on the ground, the blimp will use an onboard computer to analyze and store the data, which will be available for troops to access. This will require fewer personnel to analyze the data, and will cause less strain on battlefield networks by transmitting only required information, rather than a constant stream of data.