By MATT MYERHOFF - 11/14/2005
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff
The blimps manufactured by Worldwide Aeros
Corp. have been seen by thousands of people across the world advertising
beer, cameras and other consumer products.
But if the tiny Tarzana company has its way,
a new-generation blimp, which the company calls an ultra light hybrid
aircraft, will serve the far more serious purpose of transporting tanks
and other heavy cargo for the military.
One of only two manufacturers of commercial
blimps in the United States, Worldwide was awarded a $3.3 million contract
from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop plans for
the military’s next generation air cargo vehicle to replace Boeing Co.’s
venerable C-17.
That puts it in direct competition with
Lockheed Martin Corp., which also received a $3 million DARPA contract for
a craft called The Walrus.
Aeros is relying on its blimp expertise to
build a rigid-shelled craft that is a cross between a dirigible and a
plane. Using helium for buoyancy, as well as lift from wings and engines,
the craft would have 10 to 20 times the C-17’s payload. But it will be a
tough sell.
“When you buy a car, you buy from GM, when
you buy an airplane, you buy from Lockheed,” said Igor Pasternak, chief
executive and lead engineer at Aeros. “The Aeros craft is a new
technology, but it’s derived from a blimp. We’re the experts in this.”
The Walrus may seem far-fetched, but
according to a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office, the
craft would be able to carry 1 million to 2 million pounds of cargo for up
to 12,000 miles without refueling. The report pegged the cost of 15 Walrus
ships, including 30 years of operations, at about $11 billion. No such
projections are yet available for the Lockheed Martin proposal.
Another advantage for Aeros: it’s a small,
specialized engineering company with a single technology. Some military
analysts say that could be preferable to large contractors who have been
stretched too thin and often end up billions of dollars over budget on big
ticket contracts.
Pasternak started Aeros in Ukraine 20 years
ago and transplanted it to Los Angeles in 1993. Since then, it has sold
about a dozen of the kind of blimps that hover over sports stadiums
displaying jumbo ads. The blimps cost $1 million to $2 million depending
on their exact specifications and size.
Meanwhile, there are potential commercial
applications for the Walrus. With a cruising speed of 200 miles per hour,
it would be slower than a Boeing 747 cargo jet, but it could launch and
land vertically without a runway, port or other infrastructure. That would
allow it to deliver its mammoth payload directly from the manufacturer to
the buyer while bypassing congested freeways, ports, and rail yards.
“You could pick up strawberries directly
from a field in Fresno where they’re grown, and deliver them directly to
the end-user at a store in Japan,” Pasternak said.
Pasternak wants to have a working model of
his version of the Walrus in about two years. A civilian version would
take an additional few years to become available because it would need
Federal Aviation Administration approval.
While DARPA has funded research that led to
the Internet, global positioning systems, unmanned aerial vehicles and
stealth jets, it’s also backed a host of farfetched ideas.
“There’s always the chance that it will
result in deployable hardware. In terms of encouraging innovative thinking
and keeping engineers employed, it’s great,” said Richard Aboulafia, a
senior aerospace analyst at Teal Group Corp. “But this path is well worn.
DARPA funds a lot of interesting ideas that get stuck in file cabinets for
decades.”
About
Worldwide Aeros Corp:
Worldwide Aeros Corp. is
the world's leading lighter-than-air, FAA-certified aircraft manufacturing
company. The company's operations involve the research, development, and
marketing of a complete family of Aeros-branded air vehicles used in
military and civilian applications. These include
rigid aeroscrafts, commercial
non-rigid airships, and advanced tethered
aerostatic systems.
The Aeros airships serve both government agencies
and private corporations and are available for a wide variety of platform
missions including advertising, touring, surveillance and broadcasting.
Worldwide Aeros Corp. has a presence across three continents and has
affiliates in eight European and Asian countries. The company's
industry-leading expertise is based on more than 20 years of operations
and advanced research in lighter-than-air technologies. Please visit us at
www.aerosml.com for more information and news about Worldwide Aeros
Corp.
Contact:
Edward
Pevzner
Business Development Manager
Tel. 818 344-3999 x 106
Edward@AerosML.com
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