Ground Handling Demonstration Completed, Three Tests Remain

The Aeros Pelican prototype has reportedly completed the first of its four tests required by the Pentagon's Rapid reaction Technology Office. The 230-foot-long 36,000 pound variable buoyancy airship showed that it could move near the ground without assistance from ground personnel. The airship was maneuvered from the cockpit using air-bearing landing gear.

The test was reported in a defense technology blog titled "Ares." Aeros CEO Igor Pasternak told the blog that he hopes that the remaining three milestones can be reached this week. Those would include vertical takeoff, delivery of cargo without adding ballast, and the ability of the airship's aeroshell to maintain its rigidity without being pressurized.

Pasternak said that the Pelican's "static heaviness" can be varied by 3,000-4,000 pounds by moving helium between lifting cells and pressurized tanks onboard the aircraft. When the helium is compressed, it becomes heavier than air, allowing for easier ground handling and cargo transfer.

So far, all of the tests have been conducted in Aeros' hangar. Pasternak said the airship was in a heavier-than-air mode for the ground handling test. He said that while the Pelican is configured for flight in open air, some modifications would likely be necessary to meet FAA requirements for flight testing. The company's goal is to build a 450-foot-long airship capable of carrying 66 tons more than 3,000 nautical miles without refueling.

(Image courtesy Aeros)

FMI: www.aeroscraft.com