Blue Devil
Abstract
The Blue Devil Block 2 (BD2) system was an Air Force led single ship technology and concept demonstation of multiple intelligence sensors, cross-platform tipping and cueing of fused SIGINT data, wide area and high-definition (HD) EO/IR motion imagery on a persistent lighter-than-air (LTA) airship. BD2 was being developed to employ a payload integration infrastructure (PII) with a Command and Control (C2) and Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (PED) Ground Station. This effort would have directly supported multiple validated CENTCOM urgent operational needs, and contributed directly to force protection and counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED) missions for coalition Forces. BD2 was a rapid acquisition technology demonstration that was initiated under an Army contract in the 1st Quarter of FY 2010. The BD2 project development was stopped by the Air Force, with concurrence from DEPSECDEF, in the 2nd Quarter of FY 2012 due to multiple technical challenges and the Air Force determination that the BD2 airship could not reliably be delivered and employed within acceptable cost, schedule and performance risks. All previously planned efforts on this project were stopped after the release of a Congressional Defense Committees notification memo signed by the DEPSECDEF on 27 March 2012. The BD2 assets developed and acquired to date, to include the government furnish equipment (GFE), have been packed and shipped to a short term facility in Greenville, TX managed by the 645 AESG (BIG SAFARI SPO). Disposition of the BD2 stored assets and components will be made available to other projects, programs or initiatives; how, what, and when aspects have not been determined to date. This program was in Budget Activity 7, Operational System Development because this budget activity included development efforts to upgrade systems that have been fielded or have received approval for full rate production and anticipate production funding in the current or subsequent fiscal year.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2014
- Source ID
- 676019_0305205F_7_3600_PB_2014
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