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A Northrop Grumman-made intelligence blimp is scheduled to take its first test flight in early June, David Axe writes for Wired.
The Falls Church, Va.-based defense and technology firm is building the football field-sized unmanned surveillance airship for the Army.
Test flights will occur between June 6 and 10, K.C. Brown Jr., Northrop’s Army programs director told Wired.
After the test flights, the company will add camera and radio systems to the blimp and the Army could potentially use the blimp in Afghanistan, the report notes.
Brown said the remaining concern with the unmanned aircraft is its ability to stay on-course during winds and thunderstorms.
He said operators will have to plan carefully to steer the airships away from such weather.
The blimp could also transport weapons as U.S. troops withdraw from Afghanistan, he told Wired.
