On Aeroscraft

There is a facinating post on CNET about a new type of aircraft being produced by a Ukrainian company named Aeros. Aeros has been around for around 25 years working on airships and the like. The promises made by the new Aeroscraft seem rather spectacular. The earliest press release on the site (Feb. 2011) mentions that 2012 will mark the launch of the new Aeroscraft airships.

Aeroscraft promise between 20 and 500 tons of payload, and an internal ballast system that won't require sandbags or water as ballast while offloading cargo. The website doesn't describe how this internal ballast system works, but promises VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) and freedom from specialized docking and landing facilites. This would give the airship unprecedented flexibility for all types of jobs including carrying cargo, passengers, military missions and others.

If Aeroscraft has indeed found an effective internal ballast system and can convince airlines or cruise lines that the Aeroscraft is the way forward then there is little doubt that Boeing and Lockheed will be scrambling to figure out their own "internal ballast" solution. But without any clear description of how the things work, there's no way to tell if the ships will actually run or not. Perhaps one day customers will take air cruises through the Carribean and around the world. Or perhaps Aeroscraft will end up like SoloTrek.

 

Andrew

 

Reading:

The Dragon's Path, Daniel Abraham.