When Grandad Goodyear meets Galaxy and Globemaster

       In an increasingly complex geopolitical climate expeditionary forces are working harder than ever to maintain ground supply routes from the closest friendly port to the operating environment. When diplomacy fails to secure these supply lines nations have resorted to Air Bridges.

     Following World War II, the Soviet Union blocked western access into Berlin. By preventing the United States from supporting and supplying West Berlin, the Soviet Union hoped to gain control by becoming the sole provider for the city. In order to break this blockade, the West established an air bridge into the city to bring food and necessary supplies to the people of Berlin. The resulting year-long airlift cost the United States somewhere between 2.5-5 billion dollars and required countless numbers of transport aircraft.



     Sixty years later, the United States again found a need for establishing a massive air bridge. Afghanistan is a land locked country. its closest boarders to the ocean are blocked by Pakistan and Iran. The complexities of the relationships between these two countries and the United States prevented free use. As a result, the United States has been forced to fly in the majority of its supplies including fuel, food, and equipment.

     A military's need to transport massive amount of men and material is timeless. As the nature emerging threats and future operational environments elude strategic thinkers, they continue to develop new and innovative ways to bring equipment to the battlefield. Some of the latest innovations have been in some of the oldest technology.

The United States Military has been investing in developing modern airships. That's right. Blimps, zeppelins, dirigibles. The military is taking a technology used to escort ships across the Atlantic in World War II and to circle sporting events and using them to move the equipment needed to fight a war around the world.

     Some of the developing models include the Aeroscraft Pelican. The Pelican is the smallest airship in a line developed specifically to move large loads. Its gigantic big brother, the ML86X, is expected to have a lift capacity of as much as 500 tons. That is more than five times the capacity of a C-17. (For the tankers out there that is about 2 tank platoons.)


     However, these blimps boast about a bit more than just heavy lifting. With a top speed of 120 knots and a range of approximately 3000 nautical miles these airships put Goodyear to shame. Perhaps one of the greatest assets to an army that has become used to working in austere environments is that, unlike its fixed wing counterparts, the Aeroscraft does not need miles of runway. All that is needed to land and unload its massive payload is some open ground.