From the WSJ Opinion Archives
THE WESTERN FRONT
More Than Just Hot Air
The Navy turns to an old idea in a new war: blimps.
Mention blimps, and most Americans probably think of the Hindenburg--the doomed German airship that exploded in a ball of fire above New Jersey's Lakehurst Naval Air Station in 1937. Or maybe the Goodyear Blimp, long a fixture high in the skies above major sporting events.
But the U.S. Navy has something else in mind: Using airships for the war on terror. And why not? The Navy once flew scores of blimps and before World War II had a few big enough to carry five fighter planes that would drop from the airship to attack enemy targets. The Navy discontinued its airship program in the 1960s, relegating blimping to civilian enthusiasts.
Technological advancements in both aerodynamics and synthetic materials now make blimps much more practical. The Office of Naval Research is budgeting $3.7 million to study using blimps to guard ports by equipping them with the latest surveillance equipment and relaying the data they collect to local, state or federal law enforcement agencies. More ambitious plans also call for designing new airships that could, among other things, carry heavy military cargo.
The Navy's point man on the project is Steve Huett, a career civil servant who is now immersing himself in a blimp subculture. He says that blimps are worth another look because they are about 75% cheaper to operate than helicopters and can stay aloft much longer without refueling. They can fly during storms (although not during hurricanes and other severe storms). And unlike helicopters, there's little vibration, which can destroy sensitive equipment.
Mr. Huett's first mission is to use existing technology to mount the latest equipment on blimps available on the commercial market to patrol above harbors and borders. Technicians can stay aloft for hours and wander 30 miles offshore while relaying vital information back to the Coast Guard or any local, state or federal law enforcement agency.
The first test run came a few weeks ago over northern Virginia--where technicians searched for a camouflaged mock terrorist camp. The test was a success and the prototype is now on its way to California, where it will undergo further testing.
This blimp nearly got its first mission last fall, during the hunt for the Washington area snipers. Mr. Huett and his team got a call and had a blimp fully equipped and ready to fly within 48 hours--luckily, by then, the sniper suspects had been caught.
Mr. Huett is also hoping to design some new airships. One to keep technicians up for weeks to patrol as far as 100 miles off shore. Another would provide heavy lift capabilities for the military--possibly depositing hundreds of tons of equipment on a battlefield without a landing strip. Mr. Huett also figures an unmanned airship would float up to 70,000 feet and stay put for two or three years.
The Navy is teaming up with Science & Technology International, a Hawaiian based company that designs sensors that have been used to track whales. With STI sensors mounted on a blimp, the Navy hopes to spot underwater explosives and other threats. Blimp borne equipment could also be employed for a national missile-defense shield--if that program ever gets off the ground.
All this is being well received. The Coast Guard, which could use blimps for ship interdiction, and other agencies are interested in the project. And inside the blimping world, this is big news. Mr. Huett says he's received hundreds of suggestions from civilian airship enthusiasts, though most aren't applicable to military or civil defense.
Not everyone is happy with this research. The loudest critics complain about invasive snooping. Both Mr. Huett and STI CEO Nick Susner said they were concerned with protecting Americans' right to privacy. However, Mr. Huett explained that logistics make snooping difficult. Anyone looking for terrorists wouldn't have much time to focus on innocent civilians. Law enforcement agencies also already use all this surveillance equipment. This program simply improves on an old platform to carry that equipment high into the sky. All the privacy laws that now protect Americans would stay in place.
Other critics point out that blimps would be easy targets for terrorists. But, of course, blimps are now filled with nonflammable helium. Blimps today routinely come back with bullet holes in them. Even larger holes aren't much to worry about because the blimp will sink gradually as helium escapes. Crews who spot a hole near the top of their balloon, Mr. Huett told me, "would say 'get ready for a crash landing' and then wait 30 or 40 minutes."
People are finding it hard to conceptualize what this project aims to do, he said. Blimps today are basically floating billboards. The only message Mr. Huett wants to advertise to terrorists is, we're looking for you.
Mr. Miniter is assistant editor of OpinionJournal.com. His column appears Tuesdays.
