For years, the idea of super-sized blimp that could see a whole city at once seemed like something only Darpa, the military’s far-out research arm, could love. Now, unexpectedly, the Air Force has signed on to the concept, as well.

Built around a giant, flexible antenna, the all-seeing airship — dubbed ISIS, short for Integrated Sensor Is Structure — would provide a God’s-eye view of the battlefield in real time. In theory, it could spot a cruise missile hundreds of miles away, or track a group of insurgents on the ground.

Darpa spokeswoman Jan Walker confirmed to Danger Room that the Air Force recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the agency on ISIS. It’s a fairly big deal: Most ideas that originate within Darpa do not have a long life unless a service picks up on it.

It’s significant for another reason: Tony Tether, who recently stepped down as chief of Darpa after almost eight years on the job, was a big fan of ISIS. This ensures that development of the concept will continue in some form after Tether’s departure.