Integrated Sensor is Structure

The Integrated Sensor is Structure, sometimes called Integrated Sensor is the Structure, or ISIS, is a program managed by the United States Air Force (USAF) to research the feasibility of using an unmanned airship as a high-altitude reconaissance and surveillence platform. The program, as of March 2009, is directed by the United States Air Force Research Laboratory.

As currently proposed, the 450-foot-long surveillance airship could be launched from the US and stationed for up to 10 years at an altitude of 65,000 feet above the target area. The airship would be equipped with radar, integrated into the structure of the airship, to observe the movement of vehicles, aircraft, and people below. At that altitude, the airship would be beyond the range of most surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles. The airship would be filled with helium and powered, at least in part, by solar-powered hydrogen fuel cells. The radar system as proposed would have a range of 373 miles (600 km).

The USAF has signed an agreement with DARPA to develop a small demonstration prototype by 2014. Past work on the project was done by Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. The USAF announced on March 12, 2009 that it had budgeted $400 million for work on the project.

In April 2009 DARPA awarded a $399.9 million contract to Lockheed Martin as the systems integrator and Raytheon as the radar developer for phase three of ISIS. Under the contract, Lockheed will lead the construction of a one-third scale model of a blimp featuring Raytheon's new, low-power density radar system. The goal of the ISIS program is provide radar capable of delivering persistent, wide-area surveillance tracking and engagement of air targets within a 600-kilometer area and ground targets within a 300-mile area, according to DARPA. The radar antenna would be the length of a football field that would weigh less than the 22 players in action on it. The active electronically scanned array (AESA) antenna would be bonded to the hull of an unmanned airship 150 to 300 meters (164 to 328 yards) in length that could hover for long periods above the jet stream at altitudes of 65,000 to 70,000 feet. The antenna would transmit on UHF and X-band. Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) is a leader in AESA technology, which uses no moving parts to scan at nearly the speed of light. "DARPA wants to be able to look for airborne and ground-based targets and to communicate directly with the battlefield from a single antenna," said Michael Wechsberg, director of radio frequency systems programs for the Advanced Concepts and Technology group of SAS. The low-power density radar would derive its extraordinary sensitivity from an extremely large aperture that would occupy much of the surface of the blimp-like airship. The blimp will have a radar about 7,176 square yards (6,000 square meters) in size to be tested at an altitude of 6 miles above the ground. The contract awarded $100 million initially to the two companies, with the rest to follow in phases with a completion date of March 2013.

See also

• Buoyancy compensator (aviation)

References

Notes

Lockheed Martin magazine (Code One) Volume 24 Number 3 2009

www.washingtontechnology.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Integrated_Sensor_is_Structure&action=edit

Web

• Barnes, Julian E. (March 13, 2009). "Pentagon Plans Blimp To Spy From New Heights" (Newspaper article). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
• DARPA. "Integrated Sensor is the Structure" (pdf). Program overview slide presentation. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
• Ratnam, Gopal (April 27, 2009). "Lockheed Gets $399.9 Million Pentagon Order For Blimp". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
• Singer, Jeremy (August 9, 2006). "Pentagon's airship plans are up in the air". MSNBC. Retrieved 16 March 2009.

See Also

• "DARPA Asks Raytheon to Develop Radar for 'Integrated Sensor Is Structure' Program". 8 August 2006.
• "RDT&E BUDGET ITEM JUSTIFICATION SHEET PE 0603287E" (PDF).