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- THE SKY ABOVE THE PATUXENT RIVER NAVAL AIR STATION IS
CONSTANTLY FILLED WITH AIRCRAFT OF MANY SHAPES
AND SIZES PERFORMING EVERY TASK KNOWN TO NAVY AVIATION.
PAX RIVER, MARYLAND, IS THE HOME OF NRL'S SCIENTIFIC
DEVELOPMENT SQUADRON, VXS-1.
THROUGHOUT THE MANY YEARS, NRL'S VXS-1 HAS OFFERED
A UNIQUE ARRAY OF AIRCRAFT TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF
RESEARCH AT NRL, NONE MORE INTERESTING THAN ITS LATEST
ACQUISITION, THE MZ3A AIRSHIP.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VXS-1 AND THE AIRSHIP,
HERE'S COMMANDER JANKE.
- MY NAME IS COMMANDER CHRIS JANKE.
I'M THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT SQUADRON ONE.
FOR SHORT, WE'RE VXS-1, BASED HERE AT THE NAVAL AIR STATION
IN PATUXENT RIVER.
THE MISSION OF SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT SQUADRON ONE IS WE
CONDUCT THE ONLY AIRBORNE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
RESEARCH FOR THE NAVY.
WE ARE THE SOLE PLATFORM THAT CONDUCTS THIS AND WE WORK FOR THE
NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY AND THE OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH
AS A WHOLE ENTERPRISE.
WE ARE A NAVY WORKING CAPITAL FUND ENTERPRISE, AND WE HAVE ALL
SORTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF REGIMES THAT WE CAN FLY.
THE MZ3 ALPHA NAVAL AIRSHIP IS UNIQUE TO VXS-1 BECAUSE IT
PRESENTS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT FLYING REGIME.
IT CAN BE A VERY PERSISTENT PLATFORM, FLYING AT LOWER TO
MEDIUM ALTITUDES, AROUND 5,000 TO 10,000 FEET, AND IT CAN
STAY UP IN THE AIR FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME AND DWELL OVER
A SMALL PIECE OF GROUND AND BECOME A COMM NODE OR HAVE
CAMERAS ONBOARD OR RADARS AND PRESENT A UNIQUE FLIGHT REGIME
THAT WE DON'T HAVE RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE A HEAVY- LIFT AIRCRAFT IN THE P-3,
MEDIUM-LIFT IN THE C-12 TO LIGHT.
WE ALSO HAVE UAVs, BUT NOW THIS PRESENTS A LONG-DWELL
AIRSHIP THAT CAN STAY UP FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME,
AND REALLY THE ONLY LIMITATION IS THE PILOTS ONBOARD,
HOW LONG THEY CAN FLY.
- THE MZ3A GROUND CREW WORKS TO WRANGLE THE NOSE OF THE BIG
AIRSHIP TO ITS MOBILE MOORING BOOM, WHERE IT WILL FREELY
SHIFT IN THE WIND THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.
- THE BLIMP ITSELF IS APPROXIMATELY 170,000 CUBIC
FEET IN VOLUME.
IT'S ABOUT 150 FEET IN LENGTH.
IT'S A SINGLE-PILOTED AIRCRAFT, AND IT HAS
THE AVIONICS OF A TYPICAL COMMERCIAL SMALL AIRCRAFT.
- LIGHTER-THAN-AIR AIRCRAFT HAVE BEEN MISSING
FROM THE NAVY FOR SOME TIME.
- NRL AND NAVAIR HAVE TEAMED TOGETHER TO GET THE AIRSHIP IN
THE AIR FOR THE FIRST TIME THE NAVY IS OPERATING AN AIRSHIP
SINCE 1962.
- THE ARRIVAL OF THE MZ3A AIRSHIP CREATED A GREAT DEAL
OF EXCITEMENT ON THIS COLD AND WINDY NAVY DAY, BRINGING OUT
AIR CREWS, CO-WORKERS, AND THEIR FAMILIES.
- WE'RE VERY ENTHUSIASTIC THAT THERE'S A LOT OF BUSINESS OUT
THERE THAT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO EMPLOY THE MZ3 ALPHA IN A USEFUL
MANNER TO ADVANCE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE WAR FIGHTER
IN THE YEARS TO COME.