Errymath: airship

Airlander 10: World's largest aircraft finally takes to the skies

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="ext-gen122" style="font-size: 1.2em;">Airlander 10</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The world's
 largest aircraft branded 'the flying bum' has taken to the skies in a 
successful maiden voyage - the first since a revamp in Britain.</span></div>
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<span id="ext-gen122" style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 302ft-long Airlander 10 - part plane, part helicopter, part airship - 
loomed overhead at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire as the sun 
started to set on this evening.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Photographers
 and plane spotters baked in the sun as they waited to see the aircraft,
 whose bulbous exterior has earned it the less-than-glamorous nickname 
'the flying bum', take off.</span></div>
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The world's largest aircraft has taken to the skies in a successful maiden voyage - the first since a revamp in Britain</div>
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The aircraft (pictured) has been nicknamed 'the flying bum' by enthusiasts because of its unusual shape </div>
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 Photographers and plane spotters 
baked in the sun as they waited to see the aircraft, whose bulbous 
exterior has earned it the less-than-glamorous nickname 'the flying 
bum', take off</div>
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<img alt=" One lone man sets up a deckchair earlier in the day to secure a good spot for the maiden voyage of the Airlander (pictured)" class="blkBorder img-share" height="669" id="i-510f50877a17c6da" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/17/20/3754BE5600000578-3745794-image-a-30_1471463949550.jpg" width="962" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-4">
  
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 One lone man sets up a deckchair earlier in the day to secure a good spot for the maiden voyage of the Airlander (pictured)</div>
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<img alt="The £25million Airlander 10, the largest aircraft in the world, during its maiden flight at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire" class="blkBorder img-share" height="540" id="i-b2788c9626c9e4ae" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/17/20/euQulucw13b2cb176c3ef16317d-3745794-The_Airlander_10_the_largest_aircraft_in_the_world_during_its_ma-a-26_1471463771352.jpg" width="962" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-5">
  
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The £25million Airlander 10, the largest aircraft in the world, during its maiden flight at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire</div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The 
developers called the ship a 'great British innovation' after the 
flight, which was a modern milestone in airships, which was all but 
abandoned after the famous Hindenburg disaster in 1937.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Stephen
 McGlennan, chief executive of Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), added: 'It's a
 combination of an aircraft that has parts of normal fixed-wing 
aircraft, it's got helicopter, it's got airship.'</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The Airlander is designed to use less fuel than a plane, but carry heavier loads than conventional airships.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen123">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">HAV say it can reach 16,000 feet, travel at up to 90 mph and stay aloft for up to two weeks.</span></div>
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<span id="ext-gen124" style="font-size: 1.2em;">The aircraft was initially developed for the U.S. military, which planned to use it for surveillance in Afghanistan. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">But
 the US blimp program was scrapped in 2013 and since then, HAV, a small 
British aviation firm that dreams of ushering in a new era for airships,
 has sought funding from government agencies and individual donors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 vast aircraft is based at Cardington, where the first British airships 
were built during and after World War I. That program was abandoned 
after a 1930 crash that killed almost 50 people, including Britain's air
 minister.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">That
 accident and others — including the fiery 1937 crash in New Jersey of 
the Hindenburg, which killed 35 — dashed the dream of the airship as a 
mode of transportation for decades.</span></div>
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<img alt="First developed for the US government as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft, the British firm launched a campaign to return the craft to the sky after it fell foul of defence cutbacks" class="blkBorder img-share" height="641" id="i-5cd24f7e41920b9a" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/17/21/37563AF600000578-3745794-image-a-33_1471464021232.jpg" width="962" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-6">
  
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First developed for the US government 
as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft, the British firm launched a 
campaign to return the craft to the sky after it fell foul of defence 
cutbacks</div>
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<img alt="After a successful first flight on Wednesday, the aircraft can be seen preparing to land back at the airfield in Bedford" class="blkBorder img-share" height="612" id="i-ed637db4b2225b1b" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/18/00/375701E600000578-3745794-image-a-50_1471477538188.jpg" width="962" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-7">
  
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After a successful first flight on Wednesday, the aircraft can be seen preparing to land back at the airfield in Bedford</div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Unlike hydrogen, the gas used in the Hindenburg, helium is not flammable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 flight on Wednesday came days after a test flight planned for Sunday 
was scrapped at the last minute because of an unspecified technical 
issue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Mr McGlennan
 said the team had been waiting for low winds for the launch on 
Wednesday but added the airship could 'operate very happily' in 80 knots
 of wind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">He
 said: 'Think of a big helicopter, a really giant helicopter. This can 
do the same thing that a helicopter can do - that's to say, provide air 
transportation for people and goods without the need for a runway - but 
this thing can take more over longer distances, it's cheaper and it's 
greener. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">McGlennan
 is confident there will be plenty of customers for Airlander — both 
civilian and military — because of its potential to gather data and 
conduct surveillance for days on end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It
 can also carry up to 10 metric tons (22,050 pounds) of passengers or 
cargo. The company hopes to have an even bigger aircraft, capable of 
carrying 50 metric tons (110,000 pounds), in service by the early 2020s.</span></div>
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<span></span>Preparations are made for the maiden flight of the Airlander 10, the largest aircraft in the world at the airfield</div>
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Crowds clapped and cheered as the 
craft soared above them during its first outing from the First World War
 hangar where it was revealed in March after undergoing 'hundreds' of 
changes by Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) over two years</div>
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The flight on Wednesday came days 
after a test flight planned for Sunday was scrapped at the last minute 
because of an unspecified technical issue.</div>
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<img alt="Mr McGlennan said the team had been waiting for low winds for the launch on Wednesday but added the airship could 'operate very happily' in 80 knots of wind" class="blkBorder img-share" height="1401" id="i-e1f7a9eec88efab5" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/18/01/3756BBA000000578-3745794-image-a-63_1471478784244.jpg" width="962" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-11">
  
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Mr McGlennan said the team had been 
waiting for low winds for the launch on Wednesday but added the airship 
could 'operate very happily' in 80 knots of wind. <i>dailymail</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">McGlennan said Airlander has many of the assets of a helicopter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It
 can 'provide air transportation for people and goods without the need 
for a runway. But this thing can take more over longer distances, it's 
cheaper and it's greener,' he said.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Chris Pocock, defense editor of aviation magazine AIN, said the jury is still out on whether the craft is commercially viable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'Airships
 and hybrids have still got a credibility gap to cover,' he said. 
'Technically I think they are there now, but economically I'm not so 
sure.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Crowds
 clapped and cheered as the craft soared above them during its first 
outing from the First World War hangar where it was revealed in March 
after undergoing 'hundreds' of changes by HAV over two years.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 Airlander took off at approximately 7.40pm and performed one lap of the
 airfield before landing about half an hour later, with light fast 
fading and the moon visible in the sky.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It
 is about 50ft  longer than the biggest passenger jets but its four 
engines appeared noticeably quieter than a plane or helicopter as it 
took to the skies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Mr McGlennan, who is not a pilot but has practised flying the craft on a simulator, said it was 'very simple' to manoeuvre.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">He
 said: 'It's a very stable, benign aircraft that responds very gently in
 flight, we expect it to be an unusually calm flight experience.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">People have been practising to fly it for at least five years, he added.</span></div>
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People could be seen by the side of the airfield getting pictures and footage of the momentous flight </div>
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HAV chief executive officer Stephen 
McGlennan said the team had been waiting for low winds for the launch 
but added the airship could 'operate very happily' in 80 knots of wind</div>
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The ship is about 50ft (15 metres) 
longer than the biggest passenger jets but its four engines appeared 
noticeably quieter than a plane or helicopter as it took to the skies. <i>dailymail</i></div>
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Mr McGlennan, who is not a pilot but has practised flying the craft on a simulator, said it was 'very simple' to manoeuvre</div>
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It took off to a large crowd of people who wanted to witness the inaugural flight of the massive aircraft. <i>dailymail.co.uk</i></div>
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Airlander 10: World's largest aircraft finally takes to the skies

Airlander 10 The world's largest aircraft branded 'the flying bum' has taken to the skies in a successful maiden voyage...

Lockheed Martin - Hybrid Airship Unhindered Transportation

Singapore delays the launch of its Aerostat

Airship Yuanmeng 'near-space' blimp successfully took to the skies for the first time

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Innovation: near-space blimp, called 'Yuanmeng' could serve a range of functions including data relay<br />
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<span id="ext-gen157" style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 blimp, called 'Yuanmeng', is billed by the Chinese media as the world's
 first airship to be built equipped with sustainable energy panels and 
whose flight can be controlled remotely, according to a report by <a class="" href="http://en.people.cn/n/2015/1014/c90000-8961965.html" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">People's Daily Online</a>.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 ship, which will be able to carry out data relay, communication, 
high-def observation and spatial imaging functions, flew for 22 hours at
 a peak of 65,000ft during its first test flight in mid-October before 
returning to earth.</span></div>
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<img alt="Ready for take off: The 60,000 cubic feet juggernaut had its first successful test flight in mid-October" class="blkBorder img-share" height="377" id="i-9af115e25ab82f4f" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/08/16/2F2AA66700000578-3351193-image-a-2_1449590868178.jpg" width="634" /></div>
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Ready for take off: The 60,000 cubic feet juggernaut had its first successful test flight in mid-October</div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The 
project to design and launch the 60,000 cubic feet behemoth - the same 
volume as ten professional swimming pools - was jointly developed by 
Nanjiang Space and Beijing University of Astronautics and Aeronautics 
(BeiHang).</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 bright silver craft, which was lifted into the skies using helium, runs
 on the solar energy it generates through its panels during orbit and 
can carry up to around 660 lbs of weight on board. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'Near-space'
 is a region of the Earth's atmosphere between 65,000 ft and 328,000 ft,
 and is too high for traditional aircraft to penetrate safely.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'The
 biggest challenge for the near-space airship is the big temperature 
difference in the day and night,' said Yu Quan, an academic from the 
Chinese Academy of Engineering - an issue that the new craft is trying 
to solve.</span></div>
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<img alt="Uncharted territory: Tapping into the near-space region of the atmosphere interests China and the US greatly" class="blkBorder img-share" height="427" id="i-137210e26041a9f1" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/08/16/2F2AA67B00000578-3351193-image-m-5_1449590895121.jpg" width="634" /></div>
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Uncharted territory: Tapping into the near-space region of the atmosphere interests China and the US greatly</div>
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<img alt="Years of work: Scientists and researchers from BeiHang University helped to make the dream a reality " class="blkBorder img-share" height="372" id="i-9410578ffbc0bfd8" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/08/16/2F2AA64F00000578-3351193-image-a-6_1449590966034.jpg" width="634" /></div>
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Years of work: Scientists and researchers from BeiHang University helped to make the dream a reality </div>
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<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Liu Dongxu, associate manager of Nanjiang Space, said: 'Near space offers a bridge between aviation and space exploration.'</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'We
 had little previous experience to draw upon in terms of the environment
 we are dealing with. It has very specific requirements for the material
 and the overall performance of the aircraft.'</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Finding
 precisely the right material to allow the craft to reach near-space has
 been a challenge for scientists over recent years, but it appears that 
the problem is nearing a solution.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Interestingly,
 given China's recent history of purely designing space technologies for
 military uses, it has been announced that the new craft will be used 
for civilian purposes as well.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">China
 has made no secret of its desire to innovate in the field of space 
exploration, crystallised in the promise made by President Xi Jinping to
 pursue to 'space dream of the Chinese nation' in 2013. </span></div>
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<img alt="Masterplan: Liu Dongxu of joint designers Nanjiang Space said called the ship 'a bridge to space exploration'" class="blkBorder img-share" height="379" id="i-922556548a744319" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/08/16/2F2AA65F00000578-3351193-image-a-7_1449590971855.jpg" width="634" /></div>
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Masterplan: Liu Dongxu of joint designers Nanjiang Space said called the ship 'a bridge to space exploration'</div>
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<img alt="Eco-friendly: The ship is entirely powered by its solar panels, here being affixed to it by the ship's constructors" class="blkBorder img-share" height="374" id="i-37e35d8f3684aa1c" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/12/08/16/2F2AA64800000578-3351193-image-a-8_1449590995648.jpg" width="634" /></div>
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Eco-friendly: The ship is entirely powered by its solar panels, here being affixed to it by the ship's constructors</div>
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<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Expert scientists have previously estimated that <a class="" href="https://www.rt.com/news/global-space-spending-shrinks-001/" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">China spends over $1 billion dollars </a>(roughly $6 billion yuan) on its space programme every year. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 first portion of China's long awaited space station, Tiangong 2, could 
be launched as early as next year, as well plans for three more blimp 
test flights to be sent into near space during 2016.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 purported success of the appropriately-named 'Yuanmeng' - which 
translates as 'to fulfill a dream' in English - may come as a surprise 
to NASA, which launched a contest to design and build a similar craft at
 the end of 2014. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Entries
 for the agency's '20-20-20 Airship contest' were meant to be submitted 
by January this year, but no results or updates from the contest's 
organisers have so far been announced.  </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
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  <u><b><span>Read more:</span></b></u>
  </div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a class="js-tl" href="http://en.people.cn/n/2015/1014/c90000-8961965.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read more on People's Daily Online</a></li>
<li><a class="js-tl" href="https://www.rt.com/news/global-space-spending-shrinks-001/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read more on RT</a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></li>
<li><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3351193/China-s-near-space-aircraft-test-success-solar-powered-blimp-floats-65-000-feet-22-hours.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Test of nation's first near-space aircraft</span></span></a></li>
</ul>
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Airship Yuanmeng 'near-space' blimp successfully took to the skies for the first time

Innovation: near-space blimp, called 'Yuanmeng' could serve a range of functions including data relay The blimp, called ...

Tests of Yuanmeng Largest Airship

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyxF5ND1XP10yDavdNiWEGABHwovNjk-7gLUoc7TcN1BRZCJuw-TglSMIaDF3QZHayDXyxjgC5qHccgxo9rYEbjKmcOdMb4QbTVIpeQhuIGrkNL2R9XmA6pFMKcwP_ONSMEg-Q_9255k/s1600/yuanmeng.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyxF5ND1XP10yDavdNiWEGABHwovNjk-7gLUoc7TcN1BRZCJuw-TglSMIaDF3QZHayDXyxjgC5qHccgxo9rYEbjKmcOdMb4QbTVIpeQhuIGrkNL2R9XmA6pFMKcwP_ONSMEg-Q_9255k/s640/yuanmeng.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="field-title">
Yuanmeng</div>
<div class="field-credit">
<a class="vglnk" href="http://cannews.com/" rel="nofollow">cannews.com</a></div>
<div class="field-body">
This concept art shows 18,000 cubic meter Yuanmeng 
airship 20km above the ground (and for some reason, off the coast of the
 Mid Atlantic U.S.).  One of the highest flying airships, the Yuanmeng 
can provide wide area surveillance and communications capability.</div>
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<br />
<div data-adafter="false">
On October 13, 2015, China started the 24 hour 
test flight of its largest airship yet in Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia.  The
 Yuanmeng has a volume of 18,000 cubic meters, a length of 75 meters and
 a height of 22 meters. It will fly to 20,000 meters to test its control
 systems and near-space flight performance.  With solar panels installed
 on its top, the Yuanmeng will be one of the largest solar-powered 
airships in existence. Using solar power to drive its rotors will save 
additional weight in order to increase payload, and gives it a total 
flight endurance of six months.  The Yuanmeng's 5- to 7-ton payload of 
data relays, datalinks, cameras and other sensors would also be powered 
by the sun.</div>
<div data-adafter="false">
<br /></div>
<div class="media media-element-container media-default full-width color-processed" data-adafter="false">
<img alt="China Yuanmeng airship" class="full-width unveil-processed full-visible" data-lgsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/yuanmeng_poster.jpg?itok=olZ9vrS2" data-medsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/yuanmeng_poster.jpg?itok=ysgcau-w" data-smsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/yuanmeng_poster.jpg?itok=PtJtxDEt" data-src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/yuanmeng_poster.jpg?itok=olZ9vrS2" height="640" src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/yuanmeng_poster.jpg?itok=olZ9vrS2" width="636" /><br />
<div class="caption-wrapper">
<a class="colorbox-button color-processed cboxElement linkTargets-processed" href="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/yuanmeng_poster.jpg?itok=olZ9vrS2"> </a>
  <br />
<div class="field-title">
High Concept</div>
<div class="field-credit">
=GT at Defense Forum</div>
<div class="field-body">
This poster from Yuanmeng's manufacturer brags about its 
capability to fly at over 20km altitude, as well as sensor and 
communications capabilities.  This airship is almost entirely powered by
 solar panels on its topside.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div data-adafter="false">
Like its smaller American counterpart, the JLENS
 (currently parked outside Washington DC), the Yuanmeng can use its 
sensors and high altitude to detect threats such as stealth aircraft, 
cruise missiles, missile launchers, and warships from several hundred 
miles away.  But the Yuanmeng has other advantages over the JLENS.  
While the JLENS is an aerostat, anchored to one location by a 3,000m 
long tether, the Yuanmeng can freely move about and be redeployed.  Its 
high flight altitude also gives the Yuanmeng's sensors superior 
situational awareness, and the ability to act as a communications rely 
to Chinese aircraft and drones in the event of a loss in satellite 
communications.</div>
<div data-adafter="false">
<br /></div>
<div class="media media-element-container media-default full-width color-processed" data-adafter="false">
<img alt="China Yuanmeng airship" class="full-width unveil-processed full-visible" data-lgsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/screenshot_2015-10-15_23.26.34.png?itok=Rt_LR35X" data-medsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/screenshot_2015-10-15_23.26.34.png?itok=12QytwC0" data-smsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/screenshot_2015-10-15_23.26.34.png?itok=TlswdKZ0" data-src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/screenshot_2015-10-15_23.26.34.png?itok=Rt_LR35X" height="359" src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/screenshot_2015-10-15_23.26.34.png?itok=Rt_LR35X" width="640" /><br />
<div class="caption-wrapper">
<a class="colorbox-button color-processed cboxElement linkTargets-processed" href="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/screenshot_2015-10-15_23.26.34.png?itok=Rt_LR35X"> </a>
  <br />
<div class="field-title">
By the Power of the Sun</div>
<div class="field-credit">
NNTV</div>
<div class="field-body">
Solar panels lie on the hangar floor, ready to be attached to the Yuanmeng once it's fully inflated.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div data-adafter="false">
Yu Quan, a scientist of the Chinese Academy of 
Engineering, notes that airships are ideal for long duration flights in 
near space (the atmosphere between 20km to 100km altitude), though 
thermal expansion from day and night temperature differentials are a 
design issue.  Operating higher in near space means that the Yuanmeng 
would have constant line of sight over a hundred thousand square 
miles--an important requirement for radar and imaging.  Increased sensor
 coverage means increased warning time against stealthy threats such as 
cruise missiles, giving Chinese forces a greater opportunity to detect 
and shoot down such threats.  It would also be harder for fighters and 
surface-to-air missiles to attack near space objects.</div>
<div data-adafter="false">
<br /></div>
<div class="media media-element-container media-default full-width color-processed" data-adafter="false">
<img alt="China airship" class="full-width unveil-processed full-visible" data-lgsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/yuanmeng_2.jpg?itok=iRsxgJWU" data-medsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/medium_1x_/public/yuanmeng_2.jpg?itok=AGZLH9bQ" data-smsrc="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/small_1x_/public/yuanmeng_2.jpg?itok=JFpcMZF_" data-src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/yuanmeng_2.jpg?itok=iRsxgJWU" height="384" src="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/yuanmeng_2.jpg?itok=iRsxgJWU" width="640" /><br />
<div class="caption-wrapper">
<a class="colorbox-button color-processed cboxElement linkTargets-processed" href="http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/yuanmeng_2.jpg?itok=iRsxgJWU"> </a>
  <br />
<div class="field-title">
Airship</div>
<div class="field-credit">
<a class="vglnk" href="http://huanqiu.com/" rel="nofollow">huanqiu.com</a></div>
<div class="field-body">
This airship, apparently a Golden Eagle, is a predecessor to the 
Yuanweng.  China has conducted low level research into airships since 
the 1960s.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div data-adafter="false">
<br /></div>
<div data-adafter="false">
The program may be the start of a wider 
portfolio of large airships. China Aviation Industry General Aircraft 
Co. Ltd. (CAIGA), a subsidiary of China Aviation Industry Group, has 
partnered with Flying Whales, a French company to build heavy airships, 
with a 60-ton payload cargo airship reported to be their first aircraft.</div>
<span class="author"><i><span class="label">By</span>
  
    Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer. Popular Science</i>  
</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="460" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fU70uvYmaqo" width="660"></iframe>

Tests of Yuanmeng Largest Airship

Yuanmeng cannews.com This concept art shows 18,000 cubic meter Yuanmeng airship 20km above the ground (and for some reason, off...

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Tests of Yuanmeng Largest Airship

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