UV Online 
AFCEA West 2012: Hybrid aerostat nears completion
Sofcoast's efforts to develop the Small Tactical Hybrid Aerostat are coming to fruition, with the CEO of the company predicting it is near completion.
John Surmont told Shephard at the AFCEA West conference in San Diego, US on 26 January that the aerostat has been in development for more than four years, and he expects it to be ready by the end of this year.
'This system was created out of a necessity. There is not a simple way for the soldier in the military to put a sensor in the sky easily,' he explained.
'Why do we have to have complex multi-million dollar platforms? Hybridising is a way of delivering something persistent.'
The aerostat combines the benefits of an aircraft, balloon and kite. Surmont said previous efforts to develop a balloon-based system have never been thought through enough, and large aerostats are too expensive for this short-term battalion requirement.
The company currently has a 'mature prototype' and is working with the DoD and industry to develop the system.
It contains aircraft wings for stabilisation, and currently an EO/IR payload, while Sofcoast is still in discussions with six possible manufacturers for the payload. Surmont also confirmed that some 6-10 other companies had expressed interest while at the conference in providing the payload.
'Our goal as this is perfected is to develop something everybody can use,' Surmont said. 'We think hybrid aviation is the answer. We are incorporating lighter than air technology, not avoiding it.'
The system takes 30 minutes to set up, and Surmont described the system as a way to 'efficiently handle logistics'.
Sofcoast falls under the Star-TIDES network, part of the DoD's TIDES project. The organisation is responsible for frequent experiments at Camp Roberts, California, comprising the use of UAVs.
Email this to a friend.
