AEROS BEGINS
DEVELOPMENT OF AN UNMANNED MODEL 40B AIRSHIP
Tustin, California - June 1, 2004
Aeros has begun initial development of an unmanned version
of their FAA-certified Model Aeros 40B Airship. Vehicle serial number 19
was assembled in the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station hangar, alongside a
concurrent aerostat development program already using the facility.
The new vehicle,
termed as the Model 40U, will be used as a flying testbed for sensor
payloads, endurance enhancements, and the development of operational
concepts. The vehicle is controlled remotely from a nearby line-of-sight
ground station, with future enhancements of SATCOM links envisioned.
Future development spirals may also evolve that provide the 40U with
autonomous flight capability.
"Adding remote flight
control is a natural evolution for the 40B, since it already has a digital
flight management system," said Aeros CEO Igor Pasternak.
"Evolving needs for long-duration flights essentially demand that we get
the pilot out of the airship. Straightforward modifications to just a few
subsystems offer an almost immediate transformational capability for
mission persistence when compared to traditional UAVs today. A serious
development effort will offer yet another quantum leap forward in
endurance over that."
The development effort
builds on Aeros experience from the High Altitude Airship program. The HAA
program seeks to field an unmanned airship capable of staying on station
for as much as an entire year. "In retrospect, the 40U is so obvious I'm
surprised it hadn't happened sooner," said Fred Edworthy, Senior VP at
Aeros. "It's a quick slam-dunk for some amazing
reconnaissance endurance over fixed areas."
