How so? No existing airplanes can even come close to a 500 ton lifting capacity. One of the biggest obstacles to rapid deployment of our military is that the M1 Abrams weighs so much that even our largest aircraft can only carry a single tank. If this Walrus were made to work as intended, it could carry 7 such tanks. Even with the vehicle flying more slowly than a C-5 Galaxy, that would still allow for far more rapid deployment of armored units (which regardless of Rumsfeld’s inane “Transformation” pipedream remain essential to winning against any remotely formidable enemy) than is currently possible.

For a small amount of money (relatively speaking) DoD could validate (or not) a huge cost savings for heavy lift.

It almost makes you believe that the DoD R&D system is politicized and rigged for the big contractors.

Almost.

Read Dr. Norman Dixon’s book on the Psychology of Military Incompetence for details.

Voluntary militaries are filled with people full of anxieties about themselves and life let alone war. They want BS gear like road-bound Stryker trucks filled with “mother may I?” electronic gadgets because they are all hoping mother will say “don’t”. Push-buttoning firepower is an ideal out for the narcissistic egomaniacs ordering around the weak economic co-dependants comprising 99% of our military. Military force is more than just blowing things up, but most Americans are fooled into thinking the current idiots are doing war well despite the obvious failures in Iraq and Afghanistan to secure the countryside and round up sub-national rebels.

If America wants itself defended its high time we take back control over both Congress, DoD and our military and fill the ranks with warriors who are genuinely interested in military success and folks who simply want to get the job done not fill some kind of psychic void in their life. Anything less than this and be prepared for a nuclear 9/11 attack in our lifetime.

But the 2008 technical demonstration version of the Walrus was supposed to haul 30 tons. Which means that funding it could give the USAF an answer that could use those shorter runways and haul more than the C-130s, thus potentially solving the problem.

Even if the 500-ton version later proved impossible, the value of a successful demo craft alone would appear to justify the investment level of a DARPA project. Now throw in DID’s recent coverage of the rising cost of fuel and the concern in the DoD.

I truly do not understand this decision.

Plus, perhaps after all, they finally recognise that their vaunted “hybrid” airship still needs a runway because it is not a true Lighter-than-Air craft. As such, it is no more than a larger form of airplane, and yes, any one of a dozen airplanes are already sufficient.

Airships will only enter use when the world wakes up to totaly rigid SHELLED craft that are truely Lighter-than-Air, are solar powered, and eliminate historic ground handling through AMPHIBIOUS design.

Proper airship development SHOULD be continued. Best work is being done by (my competitor!) at Aeros Worldwide, (although my turtle is better)

Coming fuel prices will force the issue, belatedly.

As it turned out, it probably wouldn’t have made much difference. The Germans kept on fighting in what is now Tanzania right up to the end of the war.