Back to the future: Pentagon looks to blimps to fight terrorists

[tlcandie]

http://www.cp.org/premium/ONLINE/member/elxn_en/030807/p080705A.html


<snip>
MANASSAS, Va. (AP) - The U.S. military is looking to something old as a new weapon in the war on terrorism: blimps.
<snip>



If this has already been linked, apologies!

Edit: Additional link
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/FutureTech/spyblimp030812.html

[Jacobin]

1. They already use them in their "spectacularly successful"

war on drugs. There's one over the marshes of south louisiana (which gets shot at on a regular basis). Supposedly full of electronic data intelligence gathering equipment, but the official line is that its a "meteorological" blimp

[tlcandie]

2. Hmmm...

Well, would this not show that it is a lie?

EDIT: Maybe not a lie, but VERY questionable!!!

<snip>
Patrick Garrett, a defense analyst with GlobalSecurity.org in Alexandria, Va., admits having an around-the-clock aerial surveillance platform would be a great asset to homeland defense. But he wonders if such airship platforms would run afoul of legal constrains on domestic spying.
<snip>

[wuushew]

3. what me worry?

(yes, i know the difference between a blimp and dirigeable and the difference between hydrogen and helium);