General Mills CIA Airships

[sienar]

General Mills worked on several airship proposals for the CIA.

Starting with the LTA proposal of 1956;

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp78-03642a001300040010-2

This lead to the "Small Plastic Airship" of 1957;

This was a design for a field inflatable, two-man airship. It also had some very particular mission requirements, like being flown unpowered for part of its flight and maneuvering close to the ground while dropping 2/3rds of its payload.

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp78-03642a001300040012-0https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp78-03642a001300040003-0https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp78-03642a001300040013-9https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp78-03642a001300040008-5
It seems that the original intent of this design was expanded somewhat as the project progressed;

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp78-03642a001300040014-8
As something of an outgrowth of the above General Mills offered an unsolicited proposal for a "Low-Altitude Airship". This design was intended to be flown remotely, at low altitude, and deliver a package of up to 25lbs.

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp78-03639a001200100001-0
While this proposal was unsolicited, General Mills believed the military desired such a capability. That might be related to this;

 

[Orionblamblam]

Cocoa Puffs? Lucky Charms?

 

[Coiler]

It's the blimp, Frank, it's the blimp!

 

[Dynoman]

General Mills got into military contracting during WWII with torpedo (Jitterbug torpedo) and gun development work from its Minneapolis division. Its precision machinery development prior to the war made General Mills a prospective contractor of military goods. Harold Froehlich designed the balloon in question. He also designed the deep sea submersible known as Alvin used to conduct research for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

 

[edwest4]

Cocoa Puffs? Lucky Charms?

No. No. Spam. Lots of Spam. The British were secretly involved as well.

 

[Hafidz Rahman]

General Mills got into military contracting during WWII with torpedo (Jitterbug torpedo) and gun development work from its Minneapolis division. Its precision machinery development prior to the war made General Mills a prospective contractor of military goods. Harold Froehlich designed the balloon in question. He also designed the deep sea submersible known as Alvin used to conduct research for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Yes, and it was used to investigating the Titanic's wrecks too.

 

[royabulgaf]

I believe the retired USN officer Cap'n Crunch was involved.