Hybrid Airships for Heavy Lift Conference March 31 - April 1, 2010 Hosts: • Bonnie Green, Executive Director, The Patuxent Partnership • Dr. Suzy Young, Dir., Advanced Science & Technology Directorate, Aviation & Missile Research, Devel. & Engineering Ctr. • John C.F. Tillson, Deputy Director, Strategy, Policy and Assessments, US European Command
Presentations: • “USTRANSCOM—Meeting a Global Challenge,” General Duncan McNabb, USAF, Commander, USTRANSCOM • “EUCOM/AFRICOM/TRANSCOM. Point-ofNeed Delivery (POND) Experimentation Campaign,” LT COL Brian “Gazer” Mead, USAF, EUCOM, J8-C, Experimentation • “Joint Task Force—Haiti,” LTG Ken Keen, Deputy Commander, SOUTHCOM, and COL Alex Vohr, J4 SOUTHCOM • “Current Capabilities for Unmanned Airships for Battlefield ISR & Communications Shortfalls,” Brian Matkin, Sr. Engineer and Program Mgr., Westar • “Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV),” Ed Loxterkamp, Rapid Acquisition Lead, DOD ISR Task Force, USD(1), OSD • “Airships: Everything You Thought You Knew,” Pete Buckley, Airship Pilot, Integrated Systems Solutions, Inc. • “History of Hybrid Aircraft 2000 to Present,” Steve Huett, Dir. Advanced Development PMO for Airship Concepts, NAVAIR • “OSD Heavy Lift Perspective,” COL Dale Holland, USAF, Emerging Capabilities, Defense Research & Engineering • “Heavy Lift Applications,” Bill Crowder, Dir. for Advanced Technologies, LMI • “NASA Ames Airship Research,” Dr. Alan Weston, Dir. of Programs, NASA Ames • “From the Fundamental to Applied: Considerations for Practical Airship Operations,” Dr. Mark Lewis, Chair, Aerospace Dept. University of Maryland • “Collaborative Engineering and Research Capabilities to meet DOD HybridAircraft Heavy Lift Requirements,” Dr. John Horack, VP for Research, University of Alabama, Huntsville • “Nontraditional Requirements,” Jacques Collignon, Sr. Regional Logistics Officer, UN World Food Programme • “OMNI Warfare Game Changer: Laser Beam Weapons + Static Lift,” Chuck Meyers, President, Aerocouncil, Inc. • “Future Deployment and Distribution Assessment,” Dave Cannella, Chief, USTRANSCOM JDPAC Programmatic Div.
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Defense Transportation Journal
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Hybrid Airs Outside the Box Solutions for the Front Line
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he Aviation Missile Research Development and Engineering Center, the US European Command, and the Patuxent Partnership joined forces to sponsor the “Hybrid Airships for Heavy Lift Conference” on March 31–April 1. The speakers were impressive, not only for their breadth of knowledge and achievements but also for their belief in airship technologies. The audience was fully engaged throughout the duration of the two-day event. Participation from General Duncan McNabb, USAF, commander of USTRANSCOM, and Lieutenant General “Ken” Keen, USA, commander of Joint Task Force (JTF) – Haiti, on opening day was especially meaningful. USTRANSCOM was slated to receive the Joint Meritorious Unit Award the very next day from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates; and General Keen appeared live from Haiti (via Skype) where he took time to share a personal account of the largest humanitarian mission ever undertaken in US history.
Pushing the Envelope According to General Duncan McNabb, a seasoned Air Force pilot who has logged more than 5600 aircraft hours, the best
June 2010
flight performance exists at the “edge of the envelope” where speed and attitude are in perfect balance. A similar finesse governs successful supply chain management, and in this case, velocity is not the primary driver. If processes are not in place to receive, store, and deliver the goods forward, it doesn’t matter how quickly things come. “TRANSCOM pushes the envelope,” McNabb explained, “through superb training, absolute discipline, peak fitness, team work, and communication. We win in the pits.” Lighter Than Air (LTL) technology— Hybrid Airships—may be just the push that TRANSCOM needs to continue meeting the many irregular demands faced in Afghanistan, Haiti, or other “hot spots.” Testing has demonstrated that hybrid airships can rise to the challenge. They provide platforms for diverse operations like heavy lift, ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Response), or satellite communications when ground lines are impaired. They offer an alternative intermodal node (or “seamless connector”) that can synchronize delivery and distribution. Airships are safe, reliable, and cost effective. Except for use in advertising and novelty tours, airships these days are an infre-
