TCOM Blue Devil
A canceled USAF reconnaissance airship with onboard data processing.
The TCOM Blue Devil was a reconnaissance blimp developed for the U.S. Air Force during the war in Afghanistan. It was intended to collect information from its sensors, process that data onboard, and then make it available to soldiers on the ground. The airship carried up to a dozen sensors, including day and night video cameras, listening devices, communications gear, and a wide-area surveillance system that used multiple cameras to monitor several square miles at once—similar to the Gorgon Stare system. Mav6 LLC served as the prime contractor and system integrator for the sensor equipment. Instead of sending all raw data to ground analysts, the blimp’s onboard computer analyzed and stored the information, allowing troops to access only what they needed. This approach was meant to reduce the number of analysts required and to lessen the load on battlefield networks by transmitting only essential data.
The total cost of the system was $211 million. Subcontractor TCOM LP completed the blimp’s envelope in August 2011. The airship was about 350 feet (110 meters) long, with a volume of 1.4 million cubic feet. It was designed to fly at an altitude of up to 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) and stay aloft for as long as a week. Its first flight was originally scheduled for October 15, 2011.
Technical problems emerged during 2011, including overweight tail fins, unexpectedly complex avionics, and difficulties integrating the original Argus camera network with other systems. The blimp also had trouble meeting FAA flight requirements. These issues pushed the first flight back to April 15, 2012, and forced a major reduction in capabilities. The original cameras, which were supposed to cover 64 square kilometers, could not be installed. Instead, a different camera package called Angel Fire was used, covering only four square kilometers. Despite this downgrade, an Air Force analysis estimated that operating the blimp would cost at least four times more than Mav6 had projected.
In June 2012, the Air Force canceled the project and ordered the airship dismantled and placed in storage. In 2013, the Air Force Inspector General found that Air Force personnel had not properly managed the contract awards for the Blue Devil Block 2 persistent surveillance system.
Quick Facts
- Aircraft Type
- Reconnaissance airship
- National Origin
- United States
- Manufacturer
- Mav6 LLC
- Primary User
- United States Air Force
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Blue Devil blimp was equipped with up to a dozen sensors, including listening devices, day and night video cameras, communications equipment, and a wide-area airborne surveillance system using several cameras to film areas several square miles in size, similar to the Gorgon Stare system. The sensor equipment was to be supplied by Mav6 LLC as the prime contractor and system integrator. The envelope for the system was completed by subcontractor TCOM LP in August 2011.
Technical complications during 2011, including overweight tail fins, unexpectedly complex avionics systems, the inability of the original Argus network of cameras to integrate with other systems, and meeting FAA flight requirements, forced the first flight back to 15 April 2012 with dramatically reduced capabilities. The original cameras designed to cover 64 square kilometers were replaced with a different camera pack called Angel Fire, covering only four square kilometers. An Air Force analysis estimated operating costs at least four times higher than estimated by MAV 6.
In June 2012, the Air Force cancelled the project and ordered the airship dismantled and put in storage. In 2013, the Inspector General of the Air Force determined that Air Force personnel did not properly manage the award of contracts for the Blue Devil Block 2 persistent surveillance system. In 2014, the Air Force banned one of its former generals from doing business with the Air Force because he tried to keep the project going after cancellation.
Reader's Guide
The Blue Devil blimp's significance lies in its attempt to shift surveillance data processing from ground analysts to an onboard computer, aiming to reduce personnel requirements and battlefield network strain by transmitting only required information. However, the project was plagued by technical complications, including overweight tail fins, complex avionics, and integration failures with the original Argus camera system, which forced a downgrade to the Angel Fire camera pack covering only four square kilometers instead of 64. Cost overruns were severe: an Air Force analysis estimated operating costs at least four times higher than MAV 6's projections. The project was cancelled in June 2012, and subsequent investigations found mismanagement of contract awards by Air Force personnel. In 2014, a former general was banned from doing business with the Air Force for attempting to continue the project after cancellation. The legacy is one of ambitious but unfulfilled technological promise, undermined by technical failures, cost escalation, and procurement mismanagement.
Did You Know?
- The Blue Devil blimp was designed to reach an altitude of 4 miles and remain aloft for up to a week.
- Its original Argus camera system was designed to cover 64 square kilometers but was replaced by the Angel Fire system covering only four square kilometers.
- The Air Force cancelled the project in June 2012 and ordered the airship dismantled and put in storage.
- In 2014, the Air Force banned a former general from doing business with it for trying to keep the project alive after cancellation.
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