TEXT: Army statement on LEMV cancellation
A single flight over the New Jersey pines last August was not enough to convince the Army to continue work on the Long Endurance Multi Intelligence Vehicle, a 302-foot long airship that by now should have been spotting IEDs in Afghanistan. Prime contractor Northrop Grumman referred inquiries to the Army, which issued this statement:
LEMV last August on its first and only flight. Credit: U.S. Army
"The Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), a hybrid air vehicle, is
a technology demonstration project administered by the U.S. Army Space and
Missile Defense Command. This project was initially designed to support
operational needs in Afghanistan in Spring 2012; it will not provide a
capability in the timeframe required. Due to technical and performance
challenges, and the limitations imposed by constrained resources, the Army has
determined to discontinue the LEMV development effort."
One Comment
For half the cost of a years POTUS vacation travel the LEMV could have deployed and made significant contribution to aerial C4ISR. For the cost of DHS ammunition purchases it could conduct OT&E on US borders for 3.2 years. Maybe if we are at war the next time something like this comes along we will seize it.