Aircraft

Nevada company launches silent Sky Sentinel UAV airship

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The Sky Sentinel is a small UAV airship that can remain aloft for 18 hours and provide silent surveillance of a wide area at altitudes up to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters)
The Sky Sentinel is a small UAV airship that can remain aloft for 18 hours and provide silent surveillance of a wide area at altitudes up to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters)
Gary Michalsky works on installing a fuel tank into the gondola of the prototype Sky Sentineal airship at the company’s facility in Mesquite, Nevada
The modular payload bay of the Sky Sentinel airship can accommodate a variety of sensors, each with its own door to the view outside
This engine and propeller assembly can be rotated via a pivot assembly to provide vectored thrust for takeoff and landing of the UAV airship
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UAV’s, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, tend to face two issues – not being able to stay on station for long periods, and carrying enough of a payload to be useful. Nevada outfit Airship Manufacturing is introducing a new line of UAV airships, called Sky Sentinels, that promise larger payloads with greater endurance, as well as being adaptable, modular, and economical to operate. And they do this without any wings.

As a UAV, these lighter-than-air vehicles offer large payload modules, multiple sensor attachments (as many as eight per payload module), significant electric power, and endurance measured in days rather than hours. As a bonus, the airship can be very quiet, providing a near noise- and vibration-free environment for finicky sensors.

Gary Michalsky works on installing a fuel tank into the gondola of the prototype Sky Sentineal airship at the company’s facility in Mesquite, Nevada

The line of Sky Sentinels airships use various engine configurations determined by the mission being flown, including a single, large, low speed stern propeller that provides nearly silent flight. Electrical power is provided by a single diesel engine. As with most airships, an internal air bladder called a ballonet allows the airship to adjust its internal pressure to match changes in the outside air pressure. This allows the airship to maintain its shape as it climbs or descends.

Talking to Gizmag, Airship Manufacturing President Paul Adams, a long time airship activist and manned airship pilot, said that the objective of the Sky Sentinel is to be a cost-effective, long-duration, large-payload system that requires a minimum of ground crew. Crewed airships require many people on the ground to "catch" the airship as it lands. The Sky Sentinel is designed to require just four or five – a major cost savings. Early testing with this airship configuration resulted in “impressive” performance with the airship able to operate safely in 20-35 knot winds.

The introductory version of the Sky Sentinel is a 98 ft (30 m) long airship that contains 26,000 cubic feet (736 cubic meters) of helium and lofts a payload weight of about 300 lb (136 kg). Airship Manufacturing is located near Las Vegas in the town of Mesquite Nevada.

Since US FAA regulations currently do not allow a UAV to be operated commercially, Mr. Adams feels that their first sales will be outside the United States, in areas like South America, Africa, or Europe.

UAV’s, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, tend to face two issues – not being able to stay on station for long periods, and carrying enough of a payload to be useful. Nevada outfit Airship Manufacturing is introducing a new line of UAV airships, called Sky Sentinels, that promise larger payloads with greater endurance, as well as being adaptable, modular, and economical to operate. And they do this without any wings.

As a UAV, these lighter-than-air vehicles offer large payload modules, multiple sensor attachments (as many as eight per payload module), significant electric power, and endurance measured in days rather than hours. As a bonus, the airship can be very quiet, providing a near noise- and vibration-free environment for finicky sensors.

Gary Michalsky works on installing a fuel tank into the gondola of the prototype Sky Sentineal airship at the company’s facility in Mesquite, Nevada

The line of Sky Sentinels airships use various engine configurations determined by the mission being flown, including a single, large, low speed stern propeller that provides nearly silent flight. Electrical power is provided by a single diesel engine. As with most airships, an internal air bladder called a ballonet allows the airship to adjust its internal pressure to match changes in the outside air pressure. This allows the airship to maintain its shape as it climbs or descends.

Talking to Gizmag, Airship Manufacturing President Paul Adams, a long time airship activist and manned airship pilot, said that the objective of the Sky Sentinel is to be a cost-effective, long-duration, large-payload system that requires a minimum of ground crew. Crewed airships require many people on the ground to "catch" the airship as it lands. The Sky Sentinel is designed to require just four or five – a major cost savings. Early testing with this airship configuration resulted in “impressive” performance with the airship able to operate safely in 20-35 knot winds.

The introductory version of the Sky Sentinel is a 98 ft (30 m) long airship that contains 26,000 cubic feet (736 cubic meters) of helium and lofts a payload weight of about 300 lb (136 kg). Airship Manufacturing is located near Las Vegas in the town of Mesquite Nevada.

Since US FAA regulations currently do not allow a UAV to be operated commercially, Mr. Adams feels that their first sales will be outside the United States, in areas like South America, Africa, or Europe.

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2 comments
ezeflyer
I would prefer to see lots of cargo carrying airships in the sky than cargo carrying trucks on the highways.
windykites
As the vehicle is unmanned, it would be a lot cheaper to fill it with hydrogen, which also has greater lift than helium. Also, why not use solar panels to drive an electric propeller? Balloons, such as this, seem to have so many advantages over winged vehicles. No energy is required to keep these things in the air, except to keep it in the required position. I'm surprised the American government aren't interested in this for surveillance (of the American population in its entirety) I can visualise it now: one hovering over every town and city. All in the interest of security, you understand.