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Old Airlift Vehicle Concept Made New

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the retro-tehnology-seems-to-be-in-style dept.

starexplorer writes "LiveScience is reporting on an early conceptual design of The Walrus the DOD's new planned 'very large airlift vehicle'." Could the concept of a 'war-balloon' really be gaining favor again?

7 of 291 comments (clear)

  1. At Last!!! by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny
    An airship that will look like the budget that funds it!

    I've been a huge fan of airships after reading up on them, but this thing will positively scream "TARGET" (not the chain store) to every radical nut with a shoulder launch missile. It will also move rather slowly.

    Perhaps a good choice for moving materiel between safe locations, but not something you'd fly over the Middle East any time soon.

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    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:At Last!!! by brohan · · Score: 5, Funny

      Also, this airship isn't built for hardiness at all. From what I can get from the article it will have many points of faliure. I don't see how a well placed photon torpedoes down a shaft can bring the whole death star^W^W Walrus down.

  2. Haha I'll be Rich!! by OneByteOff · · Score: 3, Funny

    By Selling them my girlfriend, some off-green paint and helium tanks!!!!

  3. Re:Protection Methods??? by Verteiron · · Score: 4, Funny

    Put a giant teddy bear costume on it. No one would shoot a cute teddy bear!

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    End of lesson. You may press the button.
  4. Thunderbirds are go! by centinall · · Score: 4, Funny

    Looks just like Thunderbird 2.

  5. Re:seems sort of risky by Elwood+P+Dowd · · Score: 3, Funny
    it seems sort of weird to field a giant cargo ship you can bring down with a .22
    I don't think they'd build it out of party balloons.
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    There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
  6. Wouldn't it be... by Cervantes · · Score: 3, Funny

    Stuff like this makes me wonder... wouldn't it be fuckin' awesome to work for DARPA and be able to bring life to the crazy shit you dreamt up when you were 9?

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    If I knew the wedgies I gave you back in 6th grade would have resulted in this . . . I might have taken a moments pause.