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rapid LTA military train

A rapid lighter than air supply chain system for the military
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When you need to cross terrain quickly with trucks tanks and other supplies the following system can be used. Warmed hydrogen or methane ballones high above vehicles are what raise the vehicle slightly above the ground where it is swung and pulled by the next anchor.

The end anchors are temporarily stacked sand bags or water bags, which themselves can be swung over by advancing balloons into position.

A line of these anchors can be used to pull in over water, mud, rocks, mountains and any mine fields creating a path for extremely rapid advancement. But then, once in postion tanks and trucks can themselves be used as anchors for the rest of the advancing convoy.

The whole system can be set to work for short distances and then continuing to the next troublesome point. I envision a system where 60 ton tanks are moved at 200 kmh to distances of say 100km each time.

The path can be moved and changed rapidly so that the path is never static, making it harder for the convoy to be hit. The balloons can be many, cheap, hard to see and find, and thus even shooting them out of the sky or burning some of them will not stop the operation.

Another typical use could be for creating fast and non static "bridges" to hop over obstacles including rivers or mine fields.

Useful for getting weapons into the Ukrain battlefields, and refugees out of the war zones.

pashute, Mar 01 2022

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       So we're imagining hydrogen balloons walking on sandbag feet, and swinging 10t+ vehicles along between their legs?   

       The 10t+ part is where this falls over, I think, if you want the balloons to be small enough that they're hard to see.
pertinax, Mar 01 2022
  

       Somewhat baked in China which already has tens of thousands of miles of high speed railways running at up to 300 mph! I'm sure they can be used by the military too.
xenzag, Mar 01 2022
  

       How about ballistic tank carriers? Only need to work out how to land / decelerate safely.
pocmloc, Mar 01 2022
  

       The airship doesn't move much. It lifts the baggage above the ground. Horizontal movement is then acheived by swinging and gliding on rope.   

       Sandbags are swung into position one after the other. So balloon can raise one sandbag but not two at a time. Simple.   

       Balloons don't have to be big, but the cluster effect is achieved by spreading out in 3d especially up and far from each other. Not that hard to achieve with enough tethers.
pashute, Mar 02 2022
  

       Also, a big line of large stationary airborne objects = easy targets. Wait until enemy has (critical) equipment lifted, then shoot balloon. Equipment goes splat.
neutrinos_shadow, Mar 02 2022
  

       Ever swing a 40-60 ton tank?
RayfordSteele, Mar 02 2022
  

       //Ever swing a 40-60 ton tank?//   

       It's not hard, you just ctrl click.
Voice, Mar 06 2022
  
      
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