World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[No Fear No Greed]

It's not the PPS or the delays - it's the credibility (or lack thereof) which is disturbing. Based on corporate press releases, I am left with the impression that we have recently taken a huge step backward in terms of the timeline, in exchange for an equally huge step forward in terms of design and risk aversion. My question is, if all these advances happened in the last three weeks, what the heck have they been doing over the last couple of years, and how much of that work is now applicable? If the bulk of the work on such a project consists of feasibility studies, technology evaluation and design, then much of this work now needs to be redone on the radically redesigned airships currently proposed. While they are not exactly starting from square one (I'm sure some portion of their work will still be applicable), it is still a significant hit to the timeline, and I think they should have at least included some of this information in the 4/5 press release, rather than waiting for shareholders and the media to arrive a week later.

Yes, delays are to be expected. But if you think a few months won't make any difference, think again. Sanswire is not the only company to be working on this concept; for example, Lockheed expects to have their prototype in the air by mid-2006:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/systems/haa.htm

Lockheed has many advantages over Sanswire, and they appear to have their act together. This excerpt in particular caught my eye:

"Lockheed Martin’s unique experience with certificating the GZ-22 airship with the FAA allows it to understand and address the concerns of flight through controlled airspace, especially with an unmanned airship. Safety of flight issues, operation of an unmanned vehicle, and operation over populated areas are all concerns that we have addressed during the design evolution."

Sanswire has two advantages that I see:

1) First mover advantage. Even with this latest major hit to the timeline, they still would appear to be several months ahead of Lockheed and others, and delays are not unique to Sanswire - others will almost certainly encounter them also. But we are not so far ahead that further delays would be inconsequential, as some have opined. And based on recent press releases, I doubt that a big behemoth like Lockheed would encounter such radical redesigns at such a relatively late point in the development cycle.

2) Sanswire is much smaller, and therefore more nimble, than a giant like Lockheed. Less internal politics, quicker effective changes in course, etc. Assuming they now have the proper team in place, Sanswire has the potential to move very quickly in this new direction, as compared to Lockheed which is subject to decision-making channels and internal red tape.

But don't become deluded into thinking that Sanswire has a lock on this tremendous opportunity. The billions that Mr. Huff spoke of is alluring to other companies as well, and as of now, no one has a sellable product to claim this jackpot. Yes, we want to end up with the best product possible, but please rethink your position before posting such things as "the timing doesn't matter, we will get there eventually". Eventually ain't gonna be good enough to claim this prize.