A spy blimp with a supercomputer could be over Afghanistan by 2011
80 replies, posted
[QUOTE=animephreak135;27520137]Oh yeah I forgot about the "self-destruct" fuse. I'm sure an RPG could totally fly straight up, 20,000 feet, if you tape 5 together.[/QUOTE]
It doesn't work like that. :doh:
What if the balloon is made of kevlar and covered in bullet resistance ceramic plating that can break multiples hits from 7.62 or 5.56 bullets?
[QUOTE=BCell;27535285]What if the balloon is made of kevlar and covered in bullet resistance ceramic plating that can break multiples hits from 7.62 or 5.56 bullets?[/QUOTE]
It wouldn't fly.
No one says they shoot it down when it's 20k feet up. Just blow it up when it's being inflated or when it's taking off or when it's coming back down.
[QUOTE=Laserbeams;27520116]Who needs an RPG, I'm preety sure you can shoot that thing down with a rifle[/QUOTE]
Remind me, what rifle has a 20,000 foot range?
Yeah.
Didnt think so.
[QUOTE=kaze4159;27518342]Blimps aren't known for their strength
But it's not like there's any RPG's down there right?
:ohdear:[/QUOTE]
Yes they are, your normal non rigid airship filled with helium can take thousands upon thousands of rounds of penetration with minimal danger.
[QUOTE=DesolateGrun;27518366]Didn't all the Zeppelins in WW1 blow up after being shot twice, didn't we learn they weren't a good idea.[/QUOTE]
They were filled with hydrogen, the british used tracer rounds, and that only worked if you hit a gas cell.
Airships are a great idea suppressed by ignorant assumptions like that.
[QUOTE=DesolateGrun;27518366]Didn't all the Zeppelins in WW1 blow up after being shot twice, didn't we learn they weren't a good idea.[/QUOTE]
Because they used hydrogen, which is an extremely flammable substance. Helium is used today, the reason being that it's not flammable. Either way, Germany used zeppelins with incredible efficiency during the First World War (the Kaiserliche Marine especially). And not just for bombing the enemy, but also for observing them as well- which is exactly what this spy blimp is going to be doing.
[editline]20th January 2011[/editline]
As far as tracer rounds are concerned, the only types used during World War I were based around a smoke system that left a trail in the wake of the bullet. Incendiary bullets were what were used against zeppelins, as well as static observation balloons which were tethered to the ground via a winch system. Today, as far as this blimp is concerned, it's going to be flying so high that the only way an enemy will be able to take it down is with a properly armed aircraft- which Middle Eastern terrorist groups are pretty short on, in case nobody noticed. Even then, if it were low enough to be hit by an RPG, a blimp's main body is not supported by much of any framework (precisely what differentiates it from a zeppelin; there are flexible supports inside) and is covered by thin fabrics of various compositions and quality, so the rocket would pass through the body and damage a gas cell or two (depending on the angle) but not do any further damage.
[editline]20th January 2011[/editline]
And yeah, airships area great idea. They died down after the Hindenburg tragedy, however, unfortunately.
Oh and have this footage of the Graf Zeppelin:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVP2pZX2yGo[/media]
[QUOTE=elitehakor v2;27518378]And if it isn't, I'm pretty damn sure they will have some sort of countermeasures against enemy fire[/QUOTE]
What the fuck kind of countermeasure is going to stop the 23mm cannons of a Shilka from turning that shit to swiss cheese
There would be virtually zero worry about the actual airship being shot down or crashing. The only thing worth worrying about would be damage to the actual computer hardware.
[img]http://img.meteornet.net/uploads/hcvh5i/ied.png[/img]
The new IED. Obviously en masse.
[QUOTE=Catdaemon;27539656][img_thumb]http://img.meteornet.net/uploads/hcvh5i/ied.png[/img_thumb]
The new IED. Obviously en masse.[/QUOTE]
Weather balloon filled with hydrogen with a wad of C4 under it + a detonator with a timer.
[QUOTE=Catdaemon;27539656][img_thumb]http://img.meteornet.net/uploads/hcvh5i/ied.png[/img_thumb]
The new IED. Obviously en masse.[/QUOTE]
IEB - Improvised Explosive Balloon?
[QUOTE=MendozaMan;27523762]I can see it now : talibans in helium balloons floating up, armed with RPG's and AK's.
Then the blimp tries out that new pirate laser to blind them and make them crash to the ground.
[B]BLIMP WARS[/B][/QUOTE]
This entire thread, and this post especially, made me think of Sky Bandits (aka Gunbus):
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rihejxAS6Yo&feature=related[/media]
Oh '80s, you so crazy.
[editline]20th January 2011[/editline]
But seriously, that's probably one of the trippiest fictional (albeit historical-based) films I have ever watched in my entire life.
[QUOTE=FinalHunter;27531077][img_thumb]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5199879165_5184b1455c.jpg[/img_thumb]
If we're lucky, they won't make it THIS noticeable.[/QUOTE]
They might camouflage it so its color blends into the sky.
This is so stupid, quit wasting fucking money on the 'war' effort and put something into our dying public schools!
[editline]20th January 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Araknid;27538336]Remind me, what rifle has a 20,000 foot range?
Yeah.
Didnt think so.[/QUOTE]
They've got rifles that can shoot accurately from 2500 meters already, I can't imagine it would be that difficult to build an AA system that can manage 20000.
Let the oppression begin...
Because we totally need blimps and fucking tanks for PEOPLE with LIMITED RESOURCES.
[QUOTE=rawr >:3;27524405]Two hundred and eleven MILLION dollars going into a BALLOON.[/QUOTE]
One hundren and fifty MILLION dollars going into a METAL TUBE.
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Lockheed_Martin_F-22A_Raptor_JSOH.jpg/800px-Lockheed_Martin_F-22A_Raptor_JSOH.jpg[/img]
Reminds me of a balloon version of the awacs
[img]http://www.topnews.in/files/AWACS.jpg[/img]
Except with a super computer.
The germans 8.8 cm FlaK had a 10,000 meter range, and was developed back in the mid 30's.
We've all seen them in games.
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Flak18-36.jpg/793px-Flak18-36.jpg[/img]
Hell, I've been thinking about projectiles like shells. SAMs can manage 40km. Granted insurgents won't likely have access it's still a dumb idea.
[QUOTE=T2L_Goose;27548534]One hundren and fifty MILLION dollars going into a METAL TUBE.[/QUOTE]
[quote]with an extremely powerful supercomputer[/quote]
It costs more to build a supercomputer that's capable of observing in great detail enemy movements, actions, and such than it does to build a blimp... must've missed that part, though.
[QUOTE=Biotoxsin;27548642]The germans 8.8 cm FlaK had a 10,000 meter range, and was developed back in the mid 30's.
We've all seen them in games.
Hell, I've been thinking about projectiles like shells. SAMs can manage 40km. Granted insurgents won't likely have access it's still a dumb idea.[/QUOTE]
Also, stinger missiles. Their range is just about good enough to hit a giant blimp at 20000 feet. We supplied the Muhajideen resistance with a whole bunch of these during Operation Cyclone in the 80s. Now, guess who has all of the remaining ones?
[editline]20th January 2011[/editline]
Maybe I'm stupid or something, but doesn't it make more sense to put the supercomputer somewhere on the ground or in another country or something and just make a smaller blimp with just sensors on it?
That way you don't lose 200 million dollars worth of military equipment to inclement weather.
EDIT: Just did a little more research:
"When the war ended the CIA panicked a little. They needed the unused Stingers back before one downed a commercial jet in a terror attack. The CIA bought Stingers back for $150,000 each, accounting for most of them. There were fears in 2001 that the Taliban still had a few left, and that we might lose aircraft to our own weapons. Osama is supposed to have Stingers posted in his convoy, although I suspect they are all bought back or used up by now. "
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