American Blimp MZ-3
The MZ-3A at NAS Patuxent River in November 2013 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | MZ-3A |
| Builder | American Blimp Corporation |
| Acquired | 2005 |
| In service | 2006 |
| Out of service | 2017 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | A-170G Non-Rigid Airship |
| Displacement | 170,000 cubic feet (4,800 m3) |
| Length | 178 ft (54 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 × 180 hp (130 kW) Lycoming IO-360 |
| Speed | 45 knots (83 km/h) |
| Range | >350 NM |
| Complement | 1 Pilot, 9 Passengers |
| Sensors & processing systems | Various C4ISR |
| Notes |
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The American Blimp MZ-3A is a blimp owned by the United States Navy from 2006 to 2017. It is a modified American Blimp Corporation A-170 series commercial blimp and given the USN type/model/series (T/M/S) designation MZ-3A and Bureau Number (BuNo) 167811. After delivery to the Navy, the airship began operations as an advanced flying laboratory used to evaluate affordable sensor payloads, the development of new lighter-than-air (LTA) technologies and general flight support for other related research and development/science and technology (R&D/S&T) projects. As of 2023, it was the last airship to be operated by the U. S. military.