World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[ColeThornton]

"We were literally blown away."

http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=137425&ran=118008

"Blackwater plans to begin production of its blimps by the middle of next year. The airships and their components will be assembled at two facilities in Elizabeth City."

"PRODUCTION"!!!

"The helium-filled Polar 400 is designed to operate at an altitude of around 10,000 feet and at top speeds of around 60 mph."

"The airship's operating costs also will be a fraction of that for a fixed-wing UAV, he said, because unlike rigid UAVs, the lighter-than-air blimp doesn't need to burn fuel to fly. Its V-8 diesel engine is used only to keep the airship on position, Ram said."

"A key selling point is an innovative hydraulic propulsion system that company engineers developed. It has allowed lightweight hydraulic propeller motors to be mounted on the port, starboard and stern sections of the Polar 400, including a lateral thrust propeller that makes handling the craft easier at low speeds. That has eliminated the need for a large ground crew to help land it, Ram said.

"To my knowledge, no one has mounted an engine on a non rigid surface, and no one has used hydraulic propulsion to do it," he said. "That is really revolutionary in the airship industry."

Wow, it's great to see "someone" is finally doing something "revolutionary" in this field!