BLIMPS!….Julian Barnes of the LA Times reports that Bob Gates’s decision to stay on as Secretary of Defense will mean some procurement changes at the Pentagon:
The decision to keep Gates could spell the end of the Army’s $160-billion Future Combat Systems program, and dim Air Force hopes for large numbers of new high-tech F-22 fighter jets. At the same time, smaller projects — perhaps blimps or light planes useful for ongoing conflicts — are likely to find new support.
Blimps? Seriously?
Some Army officials are pushing development of a small blimp equipped with an automated high-powered sniper rifle that could provide a form of inexpensive but effective air support for platoons in Afghanistan.
Can laser-equipped sharks be far behind?