For the U.S.S. Hindenburg?
"Military interest grows for intelligence-gathering airship; Model could sit over target area, carry a crew" by Walter Pincus, Washington Post | February 18, 2010
WASHINGTON - The US Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the Army Forces Strategic Command are continuing their multiyear search for a futuristic, self-powered, intelligence-gathering airship.
Related: Spy Satellite Shit and Rods From God
The ideal model would be able to linger for more than three weeks over a target area at 20,000 feet, carrying a 2,500-pound payload of signals and imagery interceptors with a view of 173 miles, according to a special notice issued last week.
Its engines would be able to keep a steady speed of 20 knots, but if needed possess an 80-knot “dash speed.’’ Though it is expected to be unmanned and operated from the ground, it may be operated with a crew.
The success in Iraq and Afghanistan of “spy blimps’’ - now tethered to the ground but gathering intelligence such as full-motion video used to identify insurgents - has sparked interest in these new airships.
Yup, but they just don't seem to work on the southern border.
The ambitious and new five-year program for a 250-foot-long “Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle’’ calls for 18 months of performance testing “followed by additional tests and demonstrations conducted in Afghanistan,’’ according to the notice. Under special acquisition rules designed to get new companies into the defense business, the winning contracting team will develop the airship, integrate its payload and other systems to keep them working, then test and support the vehicle. If all things work, the contractor is to support operation of the airship and train military personnel to run it during the five-year contract period.
Did you ju$t hear a ca$h regi$ter, reader$?
This is not a new program, but one that has gone through many changes. Last year, the idea was to have a consortium of companies build a similar system based on a hybrid airship that
Under this plan, one group will build the airship and another provide the payload of sensors and ancillary systems. Last week’s notice is for construction of the airship, but that also includes integration of the payload devices, plus testing to make sure that everything works.
Related: More Drone Data Than They Know What to Do With
An additional $90 million for the program has received congressional support in the fiscal 2010 budget.
Potential bidders must apply for the documents detailing the requirements. They are classified “for official use only,’’ according to last week’s notice. “Office use’’ means potential bidders can show the documents to subcontractors but not disclose them publicly.
However, in May 2009, the Army posted a draft statement of objectives for the vehicle, and that document spells out the thinking at that time.
“Each individual LEMV can provide up to 173 statute miles line-of-sight at 20,000 feet for target reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance, and other missions in support of the battlefield commander,’’ according to the document.Translation: The wars will never end until the Empire collapses.
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Oh, yeah, remember to ALWAYS SUPPORT the TROOOOOOOOPS!!!!
"Guard troops wait for back pay; Lawmakers lobby Pentagon to fix technicality error" by Martiga Lohn, Associated Press | February 18, 2010
ST. PAUL - Thousands of National Guard soldiers who served extra-long deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts were supposed to get paid time off when they came home three years ago.
Now, they might finally be about to get their money after years of frustration....
Staff Sergeant Katie Blackwell of Champlin, Minn., who spent 16 months in Iraq as part of a nearly two-year deployment with the Minnesota Red Bulls from 2005 to 2007, estimates she and her husband, also a Guard soldier, together are owed $8,000.
Yeah, but MILLIONS in BONUSES can be handed out to KBR and other war-looters for providing for over-billing and shoddy services.
“We’ve been overseas to fight for our country. When I came home, I didn’t expect to have to fight on the home front,’’ she said.
Now you know better.
The Pentagon’s fix comes after intense pressure from members of Congress and as Minnesota legislators were considering appropriating state money to make up for the unpaid federal dollars.
Not that the soldiers do not deserve it; however, ONCE AGAIN TAX LOOT goes to MILITARY while SERVICES for CIVILIANS are SLASHED!
All over LIES, American!!!!!
The Pentagon didn’t announce when the soldiers would be paid, but Representative John Kline, a Minnesota Republican, said Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s office told him the checks will go out by March 19.
Notice how banks got theirs the very next day?
A spokeswoman in Gates’s office referred a question about the timing of payments to the Army. An Army spokesman, Major Tim Beninato said the timing would vary depending on how quickly states return lists of qualifying soldiers.
Run around has already started.
Since the Iraq war started in 2003, the military has relied heavily on National Guard and Reserve troops, sending them into combat more frequently and for longer tours than ever before.
That's the NEW GUARD, AmeriKa, so GET USED TO IT!
The soldiers were promised the paid leave, called Post Deployment Mobilization Respite Absence, for deployments that lasted more than a year. The program also recognized frequent deployments....
It's a GOOD LESSON for them: MILITARY NEVER KEEPS its promises and is NOT LOOKING OUT for YOU, private!!!
