Army test flies surveillance blimp over D.C.

WASHINGTON – A developmental Army surveillance blimp made an extended appearance over the nation’s capital Wednesday, buzzing over the Pentagon and other landmarks in what officials said was a demonstration of a technology that could be used to protect troops.

The 178-foot-long white blimp – the military prefers to call it an “airship” – is equipped with infrared and optical cameras and can transmit pictures to controllers on the ground. Similar equipment is already used in Iraq and Afghanistan, mounted on tall towers or tethered balloons called aerostats, giving security forces a bird’s-eye view of what’s happening at the periphery of a military base or airfield.

Put cameras on blimps and they can patrol roads, pipelines and towns, military officials said. Compared with other military hardware, blimps are cheap – running $2 million to $4 million each.

Navy Cmdr. Mike Giauque, a deputy project manager for the surveillance systems, said they can also take some punishment. Bullets puncturing the blimp’s envelope will not cause a catastrophic deflation or explosion, because the helium inside is close to normal air pressure.

“It takes damage very well. Bullet holes will not bring it down,” Giauque said. It will fly out of range of most small arms, and any militarily useful blimp would have countermeasures against surface-to-air missiles, he said. However, blimps traditionally are vulnerable to bad weather, particularly high winds.