Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle
Encyclopedia
The Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) is a state-of-the-art hybrid
military airship
developed by Northrop Grumman
for the United States Army
which will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support for ground troops.
The LEMV will add intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability to meet the needs of the combatant commanders on the ground.
The airship will cost between $154 million and $517 million, dependent on all options.
The cost includes the design, development and testing of the airship system within an 18-month time period, and then the transportation to Afghanistan
for military assessment.
The agreement also includes options for procuring two additional airships.
The football field-sized hybrid airship's design requirements include the capability to operate at 20,000 feet above mean sea level, a 2,000 mile radius of action, and a 21-day on-station availability; provide up to 16 kilowatts of electrical power for payload; be runway independent; and carry several different sensors at the same time.
According to the U.S. Army, the LEMV will be a recoverable and reusable multi-mission platform. It can be forward located to support extended geostationary operations from austere locations and capable of beyond-line-of-sight command and control.
The Northrop Grumman team of contractors includes:
, possess a 2,000 mile radius of action, have a 21-day on-station availability, consume 16 kilowatts of electrical power, have reduced flight-hour costs compared to manned flights, be runway
-independent and possess the ability to carry several different sensors at the same time.
Combined with an array of payloads - including ground moving target indicator radar
, Electro Optical/Infra-Red sensors, communications relay, blue force tracking, signal intelligence, and electronic counter measures - the LEMV will augment existing ISR platforms to provide additional capabilities.
The LEMV will provide a possible solution to communications beyond the line-of-sight to the user, signals intelligence collection and almost any other type of payload configuration that meets the power, weight and size requirements.
By providing this all-source sensor data to existing ground stations, the data is available to multiple users and analysts.
This interoperability with existing tasking, processing exploitation and dissemination has the potential to improve information-poor situations, mitigating Warfighter gaps and existing shortfalls through multi-intelligence sensor integration.
The LEMV will enable the Office for the OSD to fly the most technologically advanced payloads in the near term as they become available.
Northrop Grumman has designed their system to integrate into the Army’s existing common ground station command centers, and equipment used by ground troops in forward operating bases.
The LEMV’s skin - a blend of Vectran
, Kevlar
and Mylar - will be able to cope with a “reasonable amount of small arms
fire.”
The airship is a hybrid air vehicle (HAV) and it has a number of advantages over fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
A HAV uses aerodynamic lift like a conventional plane to take off before using helium
to keep it in the sky once it is airborne. Engines on board are then used to move while it monitors events on the ground.
The LEMV could also be used to move heavy equipment while in Afghanistan, a massive advantage over competing UAVs.
Helicopters are more affordable, and can intervene like fighters if weapons are needed, but they are noisy and vulnerable, have very low endurance, and are still not cheap to operate.
Hybrid airships can operate from any small forward base, like a helicopter. Their operating cost is likely to be better than any other surveillance option, and so is their endurance, which can be measured in weeks.
They can serve as steady communications relays, for instance, ensuring the groups of soldiers in mountainous areas never lose contact with one another, even if they don’t have direct line of sight to each other.
They can track important convoys, key roadways, or other key infrastructure as semi-permanent overwatch escorts, monitor an urban area of interest to prep for major battles or enforce security, or focus on shutting down border chokepoints.
According to Alan Metzger, director for airship programmes at Northrop Grumman, the airship’s ability to stay in the air for long periods make it perfect for surveillance missions.
Speaking to The Engineer magazine, Mr Metzger claimed that the LEMV was “going to be the longest endurance UAV in the world. There will be no gaps in the data that gets put down to the war-fighter.”
The Army is slated to demonstrate the first LEMV in Afghanistan 18 months after June 2010, with proposed plans to build five others following mission completion.
Hybrid airship
"A hybrid airship is an aircraft that combines characteristics of heavier-than-air technology, fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter, and lighter-than-air , aerostat technology."[1]Examples include helicopter/airship hybrids intended for heavy lift applications and dynamic lift airships intended for...
military airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
developed by Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
for the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
which will provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support for ground troops.
The LEMV will add intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability to meet the needs of the combatant commanders on the ground.
Development and design
The agreement to develop the project was signed on June 14, 2010, between the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command and Northrop Grumman.The airship will cost between $154 million and $517 million, dependent on all options.
The cost includes the design, development and testing of the airship system within an 18-month time period, and then the transportation to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
for military assessment.
The agreement also includes options for procuring two additional airships.
The football field-sized hybrid airship's design requirements include the capability to operate at 20,000 feet above mean sea level, a 2,000 mile radius of action, and a 21-day on-station availability; provide up to 16 kilowatts of electrical power for payload; be runway independent; and carry several different sensors at the same time.
According to the U.S. Army, the LEMV will be a recoverable and reusable multi-mission platform. It can be forward located to support extended geostationary operations from austere locations and capable of beyond-line-of-sight command and control.
The Northrop Grumman team of contractors includes:
- Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd. in Cranfield, UK (HAV304 platform)
- Warwick Mills in New Ipswich, NH (Fabrics engineering)
- ILC Dover in Kent County, DE (Airship manufacturer and designer)
- Textron subsidiary AAI Corp. in Hunt Valley, MD (Makes the US Army’s OneSystem UAV/surveillance aircraft control & information distribution stations); and
- SAIC in McLean, VA.
Technical specifications
The LEMV will include the capability to operate at 20,000 feet above mean sea levelSea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, possess a 2,000 mile radius of action, have a 21-day on-station availability, consume 16 kilowatts of electrical power, have reduced flight-hour costs compared to manned flights, be runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
-independent and possess the ability to carry several different sensors at the same time.
Combined with an array of payloads - including ground moving target indicator radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, Electro Optical/Infra-Red sensors, communications relay, blue force tracking, signal intelligence, and electronic counter measures - the LEMV will augment existing ISR platforms to provide additional capabilities.
The LEMV will provide a possible solution to communications beyond the line-of-sight to the user, signals intelligence collection and almost any other type of payload configuration that meets the power, weight and size requirements.
By providing this all-source sensor data to existing ground stations, the data is available to multiple users and analysts.
This interoperability with existing tasking, processing exploitation and dissemination has the potential to improve information-poor situations, mitigating Warfighter gaps and existing shortfalls through multi-intelligence sensor integration.
The LEMV will enable the Office for the OSD to fly the most technologically advanced payloads in the near term as they become available.
Northrop Grumman has designed their system to integrate into the Army’s existing common ground station command centers, and equipment used by ground troops in forward operating bases.
The LEMV’s skin - a blend of Vectran
Vectran
Vectran is a manufactured fibre, spun from a liquid crystal polymer created by Celanese Acetate LLC and now manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd. Chemically it is an aromatic polyester produced by the polycondensation of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 6-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid.- Properties...
, Kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
and Mylar - will be able to cope with a “reasonable amount of small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
fire.”
The airship is a hybrid air vehicle (HAV) and it has a number of advantages over fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
A HAV uses aerodynamic lift like a conventional plane to take off before using helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
to keep it in the sky once it is airborne. Engines on board are then used to move while it monitors events on the ground.
The LEMV could also be used to move heavy equipment while in Afghanistan, a massive advantage over competing UAVs.
Rationale
While reconnaissance can be undertaken by fighter aircraft, the costs involved ($10,000–20,000 per hour plus an additional $10,000 or so per flight hour in recapitalization costs) make an airship extremely cost-effective.Helicopters are more affordable, and can intervene like fighters if weapons are needed, but they are noisy and vulnerable, have very low endurance, and are still not cheap to operate.
Hybrid airships can operate from any small forward base, like a helicopter. Their operating cost is likely to be better than any other surveillance option, and so is their endurance, which can be measured in weeks.
They can serve as steady communications relays, for instance, ensuring the groups of soldiers in mountainous areas never lose contact with one another, even if they don’t have direct line of sight to each other.
They can track important convoys, key roadways, or other key infrastructure as semi-permanent overwatch escorts, monitor an urban area of interest to prep for major battles or enforce security, or focus on shutting down border chokepoints.
According to Alan Metzger, director for airship programmes at Northrop Grumman, the airship’s ability to stay in the air for long periods make it perfect for surveillance missions.
Speaking to The Engineer magazine, Mr Metzger claimed that the LEMV was “going to be the longest endurance UAV in the world. There will be no gaps in the data that gets put down to the war-fighter.”
Operational status
The timeline for LEMV is an 18 month schedule starting in June 2010 that includes vehicle inflation at about month 10 with first flight planned in month 12 or 13. Additional operational characterization will occur at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., in month 16.The Army is slated to demonstrate the first LEMV in Afghanistan 18 months after June 2010, with proposed plans to build five others following mission completion.