Outdoor trials of a wind-resistant airship unmanned air vehicle with a 2,000ft (610m) maximum altitude and 10km (5.4nm) range are due to begin in the next few weeks.
The yet-to-be-named UAV, which has a volume of 10m3 (0.28ft3) and can be transported in a trailer while inflated, has attracted the interest of police and the UK Ministry of Defence. This is because it could operate in much higher winds than current small airships and hover over urban areas for long periods using lithium ion batteries. The vehicle is 2.6m in diameter, has a top speed of 30kt (55.5km/h) and a payload capacity of 7kg (15.4lb).
It has so far undergone indoor trials at the Cargolifter Hangar in Brandt, Germany. Based on those trials, its developers expect it to cope with wind speeds of 15kt and reach altitudes of 2,000ft. However, current UK law requires airships to go no higher than 400ft, so its developers are aiming for UAV certification.
"We wanted to develop a UAV that would be approved to operate outside restricted airspace, to develop a commercially viable airship that can fly every day," says Andre Clot, managing director of the Remote Group, the holding company for UAV businesses Remote Services and Remote Aerospace, and co-ordinator of the UAV development project. Algorithms that enable the flight-control system to adapt rapidly to gust impacts were developed by project partners Qinetiq and Cranfield University.
Source: Flight International
