Lockheed Martin’s prototype High Altitude Airship may make its maiden voyage from the Akron Airdock soon. The solar-powered blimp – technically called the High Altitude Long Endurance Demonstrator or HALE-D – has been delayed for years because of federal funding problems. At 240 feet long and 70 feet in diameter, this prototype airship is bigger than the 192-foot long, 55-foot diameter Spirit of Goodyear blimp. The test flight is intended to take the untethered airship as high as 60,000 feet over central Ohio until its tests are completed. No limit was given on how long the tests may take. The blimp will be floating above the jet stream in the stratosphere, higher than where commercial jets fly, Lockheed Martin said.
It’s possible — but unlikely — that people will be able to see the blimp overhead on a clear day, Lockheed Martin said. |