WASHINGTON — The next Air Force spy craft is likely to be a giant, unmanned dirigible that can remain aloft at high altitudes, keeping an unblinking watch on vehicles, planes and even people.
The dirigible is the brainchild of the U.S. Air Force and the Pentagon's research arm, which together will spend $400 million to develop a prototype that could pave the way for a fleet of spy airships, military officials said Thursday.
The plans represent the final stage of work to develop a giant airborne radar system capable of providing ground operators with intricate detail over vast expanses, even if the dirigible is hundreds of miles from its target.
The project reflects a recent shift in Pentagon planning and spending priorities under Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has urged the military services to improve intelligence and surveillance operations, while cutting high-tech weaponry costs.
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However, it marks the return to a form of flight that has stirred anxiety and doubt since the deadly 1937 disaster involving the Hindenburg. In Iraq, the military has used less-sophisticated tethered blimps called aerostats to conduct surveillance around military bases.
Unlike other surveillance platforms, the proposed airship will stay aloft for 10 years and provide a constant watch over an area, Air Force officials said.
"It is absolutely revolutionary," said Werner Dahm, chief scientist for the Air Force. "It is a cross between a satellite and a Global Hawk (spy plane)."
The airship will fly at 65,000 feet, or 12 miles, beyond the range of any handheld missile, and safe from most planes.
At that height, it would be nearly impossible to see. But the dirigible could be vulnerable to some surface-to-air missiles, and would be unable to maneuver out of the way. Nonetheless, the airship's range will allow it to operate at distant edges of any military theater.
The airship would provide the military a much better understanding of an adversary's movements, habits and tactics, officials said.
"It is constant surveillance, uninterrupted," Dahm said. "To be able to observe over a long period of time, you get a much better understanding of how an adversary operates. When you only have a short-time view — whether it is a few hours or a few days — that is not enough to put the picture together."
The dirigible will be filled with helium and powered by an innovative system that uses solar panels to recharge hydrogen fuel cells.
