I have some additional information from sources at Cardington and elsewhere that I will post when, and if, permitted to discuss publicly.

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A blimp is a powered, steerable lighter-than-air vessel. JLENS is an aerostat; a tethered balloon that is neither powered nor steerable.

Like any other helium balloon, if the string breaks, it just floats away.

The headlines are simply wrong.

Airships, Dirigibles, Zeppelins, & Blimps: What’s the Difference?

The post There is NOT a military blimp on the loose appeared first on Airships.net.

Two Goodyear airships now in Akron area; California blimp to be retired in August

Thanks for keeping us up to date, Jim!

The post Upcoming Changes to Goodyear Airship Fleet appeared first on Airships.net.

MZ-3A (photo: defenseimagery.mil)

The MZ-3A crew has been furloughed and there is no pressure watch on the ship, which is sitting unattended at Hangar One at Lakehurst.

The ship is a modified American Blimp Corporation A-170 series commercial blimp that has been operated by the U.S. Navy since 2006.

Zitarosa hopes the program can still be saved but said that possibility is not very likely and that the Navy’s decision seems to be final. “My crystal ball is pretty cloudy right now,” Zitarosa said. He praised the ship’s crew as “one of the finest bunch of people you could ever get together to operate an airship. They all watched that ship like mother hens.”

We will be posting more details later, including possibly a guest post by Mr. Zitarosa with more information about the history of MZ-3A and the latest news.

Airships.net’s Dan Grossman with U.S. Navy MZ-3A (Photo: JB-MDL Public Affairs)

The post Breaking News – U.S. Navy Airship Program Canceled; MZ-3A Blimp Grounded appeared first on Airships.net.

Pursuing a Shipping Revolution as Big as His Airship 

The post New York Times Article about Igor Pasternak and Aeroscraft appeared first on Airships.net.

Blimp Protests Illegal NSA Spying. Photo: Greenpeace via Electronic Frontier Foundation

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation:

“A coalition of grassroots groups from across the political spectrum joined forces to fly an airship over the NSA’s data center in Bluffdale, Utah on Friday, June 27, 2014, to protest the government’s illegal mass surveillance program.  The environmental group Greenpeace flew its 135′ long thermal airship over the data center carrying the message ‘NSA Illegal Spying Below’.”

News coverage can be found here and elsewhere:

Electronic Frontier Foundation: Diverse Groups Fly Airship Over NSA’s Utah Data Center to Protest Illegal Spying

The Guardian: ‘Illegal Spying Below’ – blimp flies over NSA data centre in surveillance protest

Wired: Protestors Launch a 135-Foot Blimp Over the NSA’s Utah Data Center

The post Small Blimp Used to Protest Illegal NSA Spying appeared first on Airships.net.

The U.S. government cancelled LEMV last month because of delays and performance issues after spending almost $300 million on the project.  The super-secret airship had been designed for high-tech surveillance over Afghanistan, cruising at 20,000 feet for weeks at a time.

The Army intends to dismantle the airship in two weeks but Hybrid Air will reportedly make a formal request to take possession of the ship instead.  According to the Wall Street Journal, the firm has been talking to Canadian companies about using LEMV to test Hybrid Air’s designs for airships to transport equipment to remote areas for use in the oil, gas and mining industries.

The post Designer wants to sell cancelled LEMV to other countries appeared first on Airships.net.

It is now official:  The Army’s LEMV program has been cancelled.

Northrop Grumman’s giant spy ship, officially called the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), was designed to conduct surveillance at 20,000 feet for weeks at a time. After delays and reported performance issues involving both flight and communication abilities, the Army has now officially cancelled the program.

More details:

Gizmag: US Army cancels LEMV airship project

Wired.com:  Army Kills The Military’s Last Remaining Giant Spy Blimp

POPSCI:  Army Cancels Hybrid Airship Project

The post LEMV Cancelled appeared first on Airships.net.

According to these reports the controversial blimp cost 350-million baht ($14 million USD) but has yet to complete a flight; it was purchased three years ago to provide surveillance in Muslim-dominated provinces in southern Thailand.

My thanks to Dan Nachbar for passing along this information.

The post Thai Blimp Crash appeared first on Airships.net.

The Zeppelin NT “Eureka” branded with the Farmers Insurance logo

The company operated Eureka since 2008, giving passenger rides in the San Francisco Bay area and carrying advertising for companies including Farmers Insurance, Disney, and genetics-testing company 23andme.  The company has struggled financially and was apparently unable to find a new corporate sponsor.

To Airship Ventures co-founders Brian and Alexandra Hall we offer both condolences and congratulations; we are sad to see Eureka grounded, but we congratulate you on four safe and inspiring years in the air.  Thank you for bringing a zeppelin back to American skies for the first time in 75 years.  We wish you and your team the very best.

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