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Aeros Corporation
Company typeAirship Manufacturer, Airship Logistics Service Provider
IndustryAerospace, Aviation, Defense and Advanced Technologies, Air Logistics
Founded1987; 38 years ago (1987)[1]
FounderIgor Pasternak (Chairman, President & CEO)
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
,
USA
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Igor Pasternak
ProductsAeroscraft,
Sky Dragon Airship, Tactical Aerostats, Early Warning System
DivisionsAeroscraft Corporation North American Defense Advanced Technology Solutions (NADATS)
Websitewww.aeroscraft.com

Aeros Corp is an American manufacturer of airships based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1987 by the current CEO and chief engineer, Igor Pasternak, who was born in Soviet Kazakhstan, raised in Soviet Ukraine, and moved to the U.S. after the Soviet collapse to build airships there.[2]

The company's current products are non-rigids aimed at both the military and commercial markets, including transport, surveillance, broadcasting and advertising. The company's best-selling ship is called the Sky Dragon.[3]

The company is also developing an Aeroscraft, a rigid airship with a number of innovative features, the most important of which is a method of controlling the airship's static lift, which can be reduced by pumping helium from the internal gasbags and storing it under pressure: conversely lift can be increased by re-inflating the gasbags using the stored gas.[4] The company has received $60 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop the concept,[5] resulting in a prototype named Dragon Dream which underwent systems tests and flight demonstrations in late 2013. This prototype was subsequently damaged when part of the roof of the hangar at the former Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, in which it was constructed, collapsed on 7 October 2013.[6]

History

In 1981,[7] Igor Pasternak founded a design bureau at Lviv Polytechnic University. He started a private company in 1986 producing tethered balloons for advertising. It moved to the United States in 1994.[3]

After 9/11, the company shifted its focus from advertising to surveillance, as its large ships can hold 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of radar-surveillance equipment. The blimps have such varied uses as monitoring oil pipelines in Mexico to performing surveillance for the Ukrainian government along the Russian border.[3]

In 2005, Aeros was granted the largest contract under DARPA's project Walrus HULA. Project Walrus was not renewed in 2010.[8] However, the Pentagon continued to fund Aeros through the Rapid Reaction Technology Office, contracting with them in 2010 to build a prototype that could demonstrate key technologies.[9]

The Pentagon has provided US$60 million in funding for the development of the "Pelican" prototype.[10]

Aeroscraft

The Aeroscraft is a planned heavy-lift, variable-buoyancy cargo airship featuring an onboard buoyancy management system, rigid structure, vertical takeoff and landing performance, and operational abilities at low speed, in hover, and from unprepared surfaces. It has a number of innovative features, the most important of which is a method of controlling the airship's static lift, which can be reduced by pumping helium from the internal gasbags and storing it under pressure: conversely, lift can be increased by reinflating the gasbags using the stored gas.[11]

Project Pelican and Dragon Dream

Project Pelican was a US government-funded project to build and test a half-scale prototype of the proposed full-size Aeroscraft, using representative structure and avionics.[12] The airship measures 266 feet (81 m) and design speed of 60 knots (110 km/h; 69 mph)[13] The company received US$60 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop the concept,[14] resulting in a prototype named Dragon Dream, which underwent systems tests and flight demonstrations in late 2013. The first floating took place on January 3, 2013, at the hangar at the former Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin in which it was constructed, where it hovered indoors at a height of 12 feet (3.7 m) for several minutes.[15] The Pentagon has declared that the tests of the Dragon Dream were a "success", with the craft meeting its demonstration objectives.[16] The airship was rolled out of its hangar on July 4, 2013.[17][18] and performed its first flight on September 11. It was subsequently damaged when part of the roof of the hangar collapsed on it on 7 October 2013.[19] The company sued the Navy for $65 million in 2015 for the collapse.[20] The lawsuit was settled in favor of Aeros with an award of $6,882,918 for damages.

Planned full-scale craft

The company is beginning production of two examples, an ML866 and an ML868 model.[21][unreliable source?] [13] The ML866 model will be 555 feet (169 m) in length, have a payload capacity of 66 tons, a top speed of 120 knots (222 km/h), a range of 3,100 nmi (5,700 km), and an altitude ceiling of 12,000 ft (3,700 m). The larger ML868 model will be 770 feet (230 m) in length and carry 244 tons, with the same speed and altitude ceiling as the ML866.[13][3][22]

Design

The Aeroscraft is a rigid airship, having an internal structure to maintain its shape. As such it can reach otherwise difficult or inaccessible locations and can hover indefinitely at zero airspeed and with a full payload on board.[23] The design incorporates cargo bays that are larger than any current air, truck or rail transport, while the payload capacity is significantly more than the current 16-ton maximum for helicopters.[13][24]

Propulsion is provided by conventional propellers, and in addition the Aeroscraft design has six downward-pointing turbofan jet engines that assist in vertical take-off and landing. These turbofans, together with the Aeros "COSH" buoyancy control system, make the Aeroscraft capable of taking off and landing vertically without the need for a runway, a ground crew, or external ballast.[25]

As with any airship, the Aeroscraft may be used to transport cargo to remote or difficult locations and to hover over uneven terrain, in both civil and military use.[12][26]

The manufacturer also envisions the delivery of large amounts of commercial merchandise from a centralized location.[27]

Fleet

Aeroscraft Models
Dragon Dream (Prototype) ML 806 ML 866 ML 868
Payload 0 tons 6 tons 66 tons 250 tons
Cruise Speeds n/a 100 120 120
Range n/a 500 3100 6200
Cargo Compartment n/a 320 Sq ft 8,800 Sq ft 23,180 Sq ft

Products

  • Aeroscraft ML806
  • Aeroscraft ML866
  • Aeroscraft ML868
  • Airborne Fulfillment Center
  • 40A Sky Dragon
  • 40B Sky Dragon[28]
  • 40D Sky Dragon[29][30][31][32]
  • Aeros 50[33]
  • Sky Crow Tactical Aerostat System[34][35]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Defense & Security Intelligence & Analysis: IHS Jane's - IHS". www.janes.com.
  2. ^ Hennigan, W. J. (September 15, 2013). "Immigrant engineer ready for zeppelins to take off". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Laskas, Jeanne Marie (February 29, 2016). "Helium Dreams". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  4. ^ Sweetman,Bill (October 15, 2012). "Pelican Demonstrator Aimed At Airlift". Aviationweek. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  5. ^ "Worldwide Aeros Aims to Turn Blimps Into Cargo Craft". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg Businessweek. June 13, 2013. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  6. ^ "Roof failure at Tustin base damages airship". Orange County Register. October 8, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  7. ^ "History - Aeros". aeroscraft.com. October 30, 2022.
  8. ^ Bearman, Josh (July 2, 2012). "A Plan For Airships That Might Finally Take Off". popsci.com. Popular Science. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  9. ^ Sweetman, Bill (October 15, 2012). "Pelican Demonstrator Aimed At Airlift". aviationweek.com. Aviation Week. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  10. ^ Venkataramanan, Madhumita (January 11, 2013). "The Aeroscraft airship could change the very concept of flying". Wired UK. Wired Magazine. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  11. ^ Sweetman,Bill (October 15, 2012). "Pelican Demonstrator Aimed At Airlift". Aviationweek.com. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  12. ^ a b Gettler, Leon (December 12, 2012). "Interview: Aeros CEO Igor Pasternak". gizmag.com. GizMag. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  13. ^ a b c d "FLEET - Aeroscraft". Aeros. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  14. ^ "Worldwide Aeros Aims to Turn Blimps Into Cargo Craft". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg Businessweek. June 13, 2013. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  15. ^ High-tech cargo airship undergoing tests - Militarytimes.com, January 30, 2013
  16. ^ "DOD: Rigid-Hull Hybrid Air Vehicle Technology Demo Achieved Objectives." InsideDefense.com. 3 July 2013. Accessed 15 July 2013. http://aeroscorp.com/download/i/mark_dl/u/4011780344/4595063755/Inside%20Defense.pdf
  17. ^ The Lighter Than Air Society (July 15, 2013). "Aeroscraft's Project Pelican Demonstrator moves outside hangar". blimpinfo.com. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  18. ^ "Aeros Tests Pelican Variable-Buoyancy Airship". Aviation Week. January 3, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  19. ^ Hernandez, Salvador (October 8, 2013). "Roof failure at Tustin base damages airship". Orange County Register. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  20. ^ Niles, Russ (March 15, 2015). "Airship Maker Suing Over Hangar Collapse". avweb.com. Aviation Publishing Group. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  21. ^ "Aeroscraft ML866 Rigid Variable Buoyancy Air Vehicle, US - Aerospace Technology".
  22. ^ Taborek, Nick (June 13, 2013). "Worldwide Aeros Aims to Turn Blimps Into Cargo Craft". Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  23. ^ "Technology - Aeroscraft". Aeros. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  24. ^ Raiciu, Tudor (September 22, 2010). "The Largest Transport Helicopters in the World". autoevolution.com.
  25. ^ Jae C. Hong (January 30, 2013). "Aeroscraft: The hi-tech half blimp, half hovercraft". cbsnews.com. CBS/AP. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  26. ^ Fiddian, Paul (2013-01-07). Battlefield Cargo Airship Nears First Flight. Armedforces-Int.com, 7 January 2013. Originally retrieved from http://www.armedforces-int.com/news/battlefield-cargo-airship-nears-first-flight.html. Archived on 2016-03-09 at https://web.archive.org/web/20151222204416/http://www.copybook.com/military/news/battlefield-cargo-airship-nears-first-flight.
  27. ^ Tompkins, Joshua (2008-07-06). The Flying Luxury Hotel. Archived 2008-07-06 at the Wayback Machine. Popular Science. Retrieved on 2007-10-15 from http://www.popsci.com/popsci/whatsnew/18ac893302839010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html.
  28. ^ Laskas, Jeanne Marie (February 21, 2016). "A New Generation of Airships Is Born". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  29. ^ "Dynamic Regulatory System". drs.faa.gov. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  30. ^ Laskas, Jeanne Marie (February 21, 2016). "A New Generation of Airships Is Born". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  31. ^ LighterThanAirSociety. "Aeros' 40D 'Sky Dragon' Airship Enters Final Assembly Stage | The Lighter-Than-Air Society". Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  32. ^ "Overview". www.militaryperiscope.com. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  33. ^ Laskas, Jeanne Marie (February 21, 2016). "A New Generation of Airships Is Born". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  34. ^ "Sky Crow Tactical Aerostat System - Homelandsecurity Technology". www.homelandsecurity-technology.com. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  35. ^ office_zzam (January 11, 2014). "Aeros to receive orders for new rapid deployable tactical aerostat sys". armyrecognition.com. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
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