Hi indyjones. I think most of that which I pasted below from the most recent 10-K is new (although it might be listed in the BiB website?), except for reference to MATV, MRAP, and HUMVEE references.
Why are they still listing "back of a standard pickup truck" though? Isn't the BIB solely designed for trailers now??
I especially like (my bold) the bolded, and bolded underlined parts. Although I thought that the "current" BiB could already reach 2,000 foot altitude?? Hopefully they're increasing the altitude limit to 2,000 ft. now, or soon, in the next testing/production phase.
The BIB system is contained within a compact, ruggedized, air droppable, "box" that is mounted either on a standard M1101, M1102 or similar commercial trailer or directly into the back of a standard pickup truck or other comparable vehicle and can be towed by a MATV, MRAP, HUMVEE or a pickup truck. The BiB system can be operated by a two or three man crew, and can be inflated and deployed on a tether to operational altitude within roughly 15 minutes. The BiB system is powered by a set of batteries with a self contained generator for recharging or may parasitically use power from the host vehicle or alternative charging sources. Once the system is activated, the prepackaged envelope, which typically carries a frictionless bearing stabilized, gimbaled day/night electro-optical/infrared camera with continuous zoom and laser capabilities (although other payloads can be carried as well), is inflated with helium contained in the system to the applicable pressure and is secured to the vehicle by a high strength, data capable tether line. System optics are controlled by a standalone monitor and controller that can be either placed in the host vehicle or shared for multiple user viewing.
The BIB aerostat is released from the vehicle via remote control operating a high-speed winch utilized to launch and recover the system to and from an operational altitude appropriate for the mission or application all within minutes. The current BiB system can operate at a variety of altitudes between the ground and 750 feet providing line of sight coverage of up to 30 miles. We believe that future BiB systems can be designed to operate at altitudes up to 2000 feet at sea level. As it is being filled, the envelope stays mounted via mooring arms to the box utilizing holding lines incorporated into several winches. The operator can activate the winches via remote control to stabilize the aerostat during inflation in adverse conditions. The tether not only keeps the aerostat attached to the system, but it carries the data transmissions to the ground control station and supplies power to the payload. For nighttime operations, the tether and aerostat can also be outfitted with infrared markers and strobes so that the aerostat is visible to anyone wearing night vision goggles.
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