U.S. Army Sends LEMV Airship on First Flight
Posted on August 13, 2012
The U.S. Army sent its Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) on its first flight on Friday. The airship flew for 90 minutes over Lakehurst Naval Air Station. The airship was built by Northrop Grumman Corporation and Hybrid Air Vehicles Limited.
The Army says the unmanned airship will take the form of an "unblinking stare" over ground troops. It can stay up there and provide intelligence and surveillance over a battlefield for anywhere from one day to multiple weeks. The huge airship is nearly as long as football field. ABC News says it measures 300 feet in length and stands 80 feet tall.
The skin of the airship is made from Vectran, Kevlar and Mylar and can reportedly survive a "reasonable amount" of small arms fire.
Take a look: