Aeroscraft hybird airship for DARPA Walrus

Aeros video animation showing the design it developed under DARPA's Walrus programme for an ultra-large cargo-carrying hybrid airship - combining bouyant lift, aerodynamic lift and powered lift to take-off and land vertically without ground infrastructure. The Walrus programme was cancelled before anything was built, but Aeros continues to develop the Aeroscraft

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Airship
• transport
• lighter
• than
• air
• DARPA

[Semmarv]

Actually, from what i've read about combat airships used in the world war era, They tend to be much more resilient to damage than one would suspect. And given the immense tactical advantage of landing hundreds of men at a time, I'm sure that they would find a way to make it work.

(Granted, If it works well, then new tactics will be developed for attacking them too. but that's war for ya.)

[candr]

Probably a long time, this particular item was canceled awhile back. by the DARPA, as the author stated, but there is interest in some not so massive machines.

[zeppship]

@ShimmySnail watch seconds from disaster and you'll know whether it was the skin or the gas. (+it's not a blimp)

[Jjames763]

@disquietawe

Actually, because the buoyancy is from density more than weight, and hydrogen is H2, the real lift difference is more like 8% heavier.

Most assume blimps are easy to shoot down. But they are actually vastly more durable than all other aircraft. Blimps have literally been torn in two, shot thousands of times(with hydrogen) and still fly for hours. Also, people forget that it isn't defenseless.

[MrPennalto]

 They should have used the theme from Thunderbirds.

[123456wasp]

Looks alot like some UFO designs!

[phillyblizzard]

NASA included this in it's recent list for future generations of aircraft. Ha, they finally caught up :)

[disquietawe]

@ShimmySnail I'm sure the hydrogen made it worse than it would have been. Also, hydrogen airships became way too unsafe the second we invented tracer ammunition. One burning bullet pierces the blimp and it roasts. Helium is the safest alternative, but it's up to four times the weight (depending on isotope), which makes it far less effective.

[Aware681]

See the latest on Hybrid Air Vehicle, Ltd out of England. They signed a huge contract with the US military and plan to have a prototype out in the summer of this year.

[ShimmySnail]

@lucidwayne The Hindenburg was hydrogen, helium, which the allies refused to ship to Germany, is completely inert. Even if one had to use hydrogen, it's an urban legend the Hindenburg burned due to a hydrogen explosion. What caught fire was the covering of the blimp itself, which was not flame retardant. Many blimps were used in WWI for their large bomb capacities to good effect and for reconnaisance.

[lucidwayne]

Not very practical looking, in a war time scenario the Hindenburg comes to mind.