Radar Goliath
by Frank Vizard, Popular Mechanics, January 2007
SOLAR PANELS: The design hasn't been finalized, but the unmanned radar airship will likely use top-mounted solar cells to stay aloft for up to a year.
PROPULSION: The airship will probably rely on low-speed electric propellers. It's intended to stay in one position, at an altitude of mor than 65,000 ft. for extended periods.
RADAR ARRAY: The curved array will be attached to the airship's super structure, and will able to monitor a 400-plus-mile swath of rural and urban terrain.
"PROJECT ISIS" has the of a James Bond movie, but it actually comes from an acronym (albeit a clumsy one) for a new curved radar array being developed by Raytheon and DARPA, the Pentagon's research arm. The Integrated Sensor Is Structure concept calls for such arrays running along the wings, tail and underbelly of military or commercial aircraft. Eventually, it could replace the flat-panel radar antennas typically found in a plane's nose, providing improved surveillance capabilities and better 360-degree threat detection. ISIS technology is set to debut in 2009 as part of a colossal unmanned airship parked at more than 65,000ft. Over combat zones. Bonding the ISIS radar to the airship's superstructure will cut down on overall weight, and allow for a huge, continuous array. At anywhere from 164 to 328 yards in lengths, the airship will be the largest airborne radar antenna ever built, able to track everything from aircraft to individual troops across hundreds of miles. Controlled remotely from the ground, the airship will ascend to the stratoshpere and could take the place of standard surveillance aircraft, remaining in place for up to a year. Parts of the curved radar array have been tested successfully in the lab by Rayteon, but at press time no contracts had been announced for the design of the airship itself.
hmmm...approximately twice the length of BOEING 747...
SOLAR PANELS: The design hasn't been finalized, but the unmanned radar airship will likely use top-mounted solar cells to stay aloft for up to a year.
PROPULSION: The airship will probably rely on low-speed electric propellers. It's intended to stay in one position, at an altitude of mor than 65,000 ft. for extended periods.
RADAR ARRAY: The curved array will be attached to the airship's super structure, and will able to monitor a 400-plus-mile swath of rural and urban terrain.
"PROJECT ISIS" has the of a James Bond movie, but it actually comes from an acronym (albeit a clumsy one) for a new curved radar array being developed by Raytheon and DARPA, the Pentagon's research arm. The Integrated Sensor Is Structure concept calls for such arrays running along the wings, tail and underbelly of military or commercial aircraft. Eventually, it could replace the flat-panel radar antennas typically found in a plane's nose, providing improved surveillance capabilities and better 360-degree threat detection. ISIS technology is set to debut in 2009 as part of a colossal unmanned airship parked at more than 65,000ft. Over combat zones. Bonding the ISIS radar to the airship's superstructure will cut down on overall weight, and allow for a huge, continuous array. At anywhere from 164 to 328 yards in lengths, the airship will be the largest airborne radar antenna ever built, able to track everything from aircraft to individual troops across hundreds of miles. Controlled remotely from the ground, the airship will ascend to the stratoshpere and could take the place of standard surveillance aircraft, remaining in place for up to a year. Parts of the curved radar array have been tested successfully in the lab by Rayteon, but at press time no contracts had been announced for the design of the airship itself.
hmmm...approximately twice the length of BOEING 747...
posted by Ilangilang | 4:10 AM
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