World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[indyjonesohio]

WW, found this on Aerostar Raven's web site:

Aerostar teamed with Southwest Research Institute to develop the HiSentinel airship, a tactical high altitude airship capable of sustaining station-keeping flight for 30-90 days. In 2005, HiSentinel carried a 60 pound user payload and telemetry pod to 74,000 feet and achieved powered flight for 1.5 hours during a five hour flight. Since this historic flight, additional flights were completed in 2008 and 2010. Today, Aerostar continues extensive development of the next high altitude airship.

Prior to that historic flight, Raven Industries, Aerostar’s parent company, was the first to fly an unmanned airship in the stratosphere in 1969. High Platform II achieved powered flight at 70,000 feet for two hours with a five pound telemetry and propulsion payload.

As I said, I am a ground pounder, not a stratonaut! Aerostar Raven is a WSGI competitor IMO but not a low-cost solution provider. When you have a corporate structure that is built to handle $7M systems, it is hard to retool for $250K systems IMO. I think they call this the advantage of the late start in business. Thanks for all you do. Warm regards, IndyJones