The U.S. Army wants aircraft manufacturer Lockheed to dust off and spiff off an old aircraft research project, and get it ready for service within 18 months as the LEMV (Long-Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle). The old project in question is P-791, a blimp originally developed as an aerodynamic airship that would be a cheaper way to transport cargo by air. P-791 looks like three normal blimps smushed together to form one wide blimp. The army wants an unmanned blimp that can carry 1.1 tons of sensors, stay aloft for 21 days at a time, supply 16 kilowatts of power and move at up to 148 kilometers an hour.
Cargo? Sensors? Screw that! We have other platforms for those jobs. Set that puppy up to be a high altitude long-endurance satellite replacement that we can put up on short notice over the western Pacific in case of war with China, and the PLA manages to knock down enough of our satellites to seriously hinder our command and control network in orbit around the planet.
[NOTE: I should note, in the spirit of full disclosure, that I have a tiny number of Lockheed Martin shares.]
