| Technical requirements for the HHLAV
as defined by our customers
The technical section, provided by Millennium Airship Inc. (MAS), first
addresses the �must have� system attributes required to meet overall
customer system requirements identified by their top level requirements.
MAS recognize that the world
requires a revolutionary hybrid heavy lift Airship to
fulfill 21st Century transformation mission requirements. These
requirements result in the need for an air vehicle that can provide
heavy lift global reach transport of varying weights, sizes and volume.
MAS will start with a 50 ton lift vehicle and will base the production
of larger air vehicles on future demands; however we have already been
queried on a 500 ton lift vehicle. Once the 50 ton vehicle is designed
and in initial testing a decision will be made on larger sizes.
The HHLAV 50 ton aircraft proposed operating perimeters will be as
follows: The greatest drawback of past
Airship technology has been the need for a ground crew at an off-airport
reception site for tethering infrastructure or for ballast offsets to
control air vehicle buoyancy during loading and unloading or ground
activities. HHLAV needs none of these large infrastructure requirements
at the deployment point or at the home operations or provisioning end.
HHLAV is the design concept for a state of the art LTA air vehicle
developed by Millennium Airship, which does not require any infrastructure
for landing or take off or loading and unloading operations. The customer will participate
with MAS to review and validate the critical system attributes to meet
their overall requirements. MAS propose these generic top tier
requirements to support the achievement of essential customer mission
priorities for this air vehicle. Once unloaded the HHLAV should be
able to fly Very light under altitude controlling vectored thrust to the
nearest source, which could be many hundreds of miles away where ballast
can be collected. At this time, we are anticipating the removal of re-cyclable
materials and waste from environmentally sensitive and remote locations
on the return leg of each freight delivery. In the event that this
cannot occur, we anticipate the use of water bladders that can be loaded
at the remote site via local water sources and stand alone pumping
systems. HHLAV will be equipped with an
undercarriage capable of bearing 50-70 tons of cargo. Undercarriage
trade studies should be conducted to determine the best materials,
architecture, and geometry for load bearing and salt-water immersion
requirements to be used on HHLAV. Analysis will also be done to optimize
the undercarriage strength for rough terrain to ensure the gear will
tolerate the landing zone conditions to be encountered at a given point
of insertion (minimum 3-foot obstacle clearance). However, it is
presumed that no undercarriage system of a HHLAV air vehicle will survive
even a Short Take Off/Vertical Landing (STOVL) landing that makes
contact with 3+ foot high obstacles when the air vehicle weighs 50+
tons. To meet operational
requirements, the HHLAV air vehicle must be controllable at low speeds and
under the control of the pilot. Runway infrastructures are not required for the HHLAV as the lift provided by the envelope and Thrust Wings capability will make near vertical takeoff and landing a reality. HHLAV�s keel/hull and major structural components should be constructed primarily of advanced carbon fiber composite, along with metal components necessary, to provide lightness, rigidity and strength as well as ease of maintenance. These materials will withstand repeated landings into unimproved landing sites, including vertical obstacles 3-feet high, and sea-state 3 sea conditions allowing the HHLAV to land and load or unload on either water or land, even in adverse conditions.
HHLAV�s cockpit should be
equipped with all standard FAA required instrumentation including
satellite weather tracking and moving map equipment, including Terrain
Avoidance Warning System (TAWS), and advanced redundant integrated
flight management system. Thus HHLAV will be as able as present day
commercial air vehicle to avoid weather systems. HHLAV air vehicle are
inherently stable in flight and are not subject to turbulence in the
same manner as fixed wing air vehicle. The massive size and slow speed
of the air vehicle also minimizes buffeting due to air turbulence. HHLAV
will be lightning protected. Its sheer size will have a mitigating
effect on forces placed on the vehicle itself. Payload size is an important
system attribute priority. Expected load size and weight depends upon
the finished size of the air vehicle. Interior cargo bay space can be
expanded and configured to fit the corresponding size and needs of most
any transportation needs. HHLAV is expected to travel at
speeds up to 100 mph and is capable of traveling up to 2,000 total miles
without re-fueling; HHLAV realizes significant timesaving in turn-around
time while fulfilling mission requirements. HHLAV�s standard operating
altitude of 10,000 feet or lower will not require cabin pressurization.
However, it should be able to operate at altitudes as high as 20,000
feet with crew and passengers on supplemental oxygen. The time required to load or
unload cargo will be primarily dependent upon the size, amount and
nature of the cargo. The loadmaster and the power/systems engineer to
facilitate the process as well as reduce docking time required for sea
operations will oversee loading and unloading. Roll-on, roll-off and
ramp-pull capabilities both front and rear will facilitate speedy
loading and unloading of cargo and personnel. The cargo bay should be built to
be mission diverse through the configuration of motorized blocked pulley
systems, paddock tie-downs and container lockdowns. Baseline studies
should be done for the fabrication of modular sleeping, kitchen, and
restroom units for personnel under transport, humanitarian relief
efforts and ships at sea re-supply efforts. Additional pre-fabricated
units, such as �clean room� medical operating rooms required for special
purposes are available. Because LTA technology does not
require fuel to create and maintain lift under normal circumstances,
fuel can be conserved to create forward movement alone. Consequently the
ability to travel global distances un-refueled has been a long-standing
reality of LTA air vehicle. The weight of the load becomes less
dependent upon fuel availability and more dependent upon lift capacity
provided by air vehicle buoyancy. Payload weight will have minor trade
off effects on distance and speed of the air vehicle. Thrust expended to
offset ballast during in-theater operations will however, impact fuel
consumption. It has always been MAS desire to
have vertical take off and landing capabilities to maximize the number
of available landing zones to use this freight moving system. However,
we fully understand the additional costs and development time to make
this a reality. Therefore having a loading zone approximately 2000 feet
by 2000 feet with surface heights ranging no higher than 3 feet is
within acceptable customer requirements. HHLAV will need to be built to be
extremely survivable. The envelope�s internal low pressure makes the
effect of holes created by small arms fire less problematic. LTA air
vehicle have been known to remain aloft even with bullet holes in the
envelope, yet should the envelope be damaged beyond its ability to
maintain altitude the air vehicle will descend rather than plummet,
allowing the flight crews to direct and choose the landing area.
Additionally, HHLAV�s amphibious nature permits the pilot to choose among
many more available locations for emergency set-down. Under conditions of neutral
buoyancy, HHLAV air vehicle should be able to remain aloft as long as the
lift provided by the lifting gas is maintained. Given that the buoyancy
system does not have any problems, then the next mechanical system
subject to maintenance problems would be the engines. The pacing factor
for most air vehicle, as far as endurance is concerned, is fuel. An additional important system
attribute priority in a customer�s point-to-point requirements is the
weight the air vehicle can carry. Again, expected load size and payload
weight capacity depends upon the finished size of the air vehicle.
HHLAV�s finished size; however, is a function of needs rather than design
limitations. The loadmaster crew will be
trained to control logistical organization of the payload. Initial
organization will account for total mission requirements and allow for
re-organization of priority items to be loaded or unloaded at each
landing. Large cargo bay doors and ramps located at the front, rear and
both sides of the air vehicle reduce the number and degree of internal
moves required while in-flight. The power/systems engineer will
coordinate payload/ballast requirements with the senior loadmaster to
assure the Center of Gravity (CG) envelope is maintained while
in-flight. MAS also acknowledge that life
cycle cost is a major consideration in procuring a large-scale air
vehicle, such as HHLAV. With that in mind, our design priorities will
include keeping the life cycle cost as low as possible as well as
designing the air vehicle for ease of maintenance. In addition to weather and
maintenance issues, sortie generation rates are dependent upon many
variables not considered here. However, as noted in paragraph Ability to
Operate in Adverse Weather, HHLAV�s structure should be minimally
affected by inclement weather. Due to the robust nature of the HHLAV,
regularly scheduled maintenance rotations can be performed without
additional protective infrastructure. Parts availability will have an
impact on sortie rates though no more so than that experienced by other
commercial air vehicle. Thus, HHLAV is expected to meet or exceed sortie
generation rates required by the customer. The time and material saved
by eliminating delays and costs at multiple transfer points will also
serve to augment sortie generation rates. The customer is interested in
unique collaborative design methodologies, modeling and simulation
tools, process capabilities, concepts and innovative teaming
arrangements, which will reduce the costs of product development,
manufacturing and operations and support. MAS propose several innovative
concepts that will enhance fiscal responsibility and prudence in
multiple areas of the HHLAV program.
|
||
 |
||
| INVESTORS | HOME | BACKGROUND | PRINCIPALS | CONTACT |
||
Copyright 2010 |
