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Blimps & LTA Craft | C4ISR | Design Innovations | Industry & Trends | Leadership & People | Logistics | New Systems Tech | Official Reports | Power Projection | USA

USAF Looking at “Near-Space” Blimps

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"According to Inside Defense, a 90-day Air Force study has concluded that there would be "military utility" in putting blimps, balloons, and drones in near space -- between 65,000 and 350,000 above sea level. Up there, they could serve as cheap substitutes for satellites, relaying communications and snooping on foes. They might be able to carry equipment, effectively becoming giant U-Hauls in the sky. And this could be done, at least in the balloons' case, without "significantly strain[ing] existing infrastructure or requir[ing] large amounts of equipment or personnel to operate the balloons," Inside Defense says."....

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