At the end of last year, the Russian government approved the concept of scientific and technological development of the transport industry for 10 years. Along with new aircraft, infrastructure, communications equipment and drones, the document also covers the development of technology using airships to carry cargo and passengers. The creators of the devices, designers and experts themselves told Rossiyskaya Gazeta about how they were created and what are the current problems in their production and use.
The end of the Zeppelin era
The days of aviation, when airships carried passengers on regular flights, now seem long gone. Huge balloons carrying dozens of people on floating gondolas traveled thousands of kilometers between continents, crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The end of this era is considered to be 1937, when the airship Hindenburg crashed at Lakehurst Air Force Base in the United States, killing 35 of the 95 people on board. The rupture of the hydrogen cylinder during landing led to catastrophic consequences – a flammable substance leaked and then caught fire.
Disasters also occurred in the Soviet Union, where zeppelins were also widely used. A year after Hindenburg, an accident occurred with the Soviet-B6 airship. The device with a crew of 19 people performed a rescue mission on the White Sea. The mission was to evacuate the expedition from an iceberg. During the flight, the weather changed and snow began to fall heavily. As a result, the metal structures became frozen and the balloon began to move off course. This resulted in a collision with the mountainous coast and an immediate fire. Only six astronauts could survive.
These events have prompted the airline industry to globally reconsider its transportation model. Airships are beginning to “step on the heels” of airships, their technical characteristics are rapidly improving. In 1939, Pan Am launched regular transatlantic flights using Boeing aircraft. Then the winner was finally determined in the battle for air.
Lighter than air – but why?
Today in Russia they are cautiously talking about a renaissance of airship construction. After all, hot air balloons have many advantages over airplanes and helicopters. These include large carrying capacity, low operating costs, almost unlimited range and a much simpler infrastructure to use than other devices. But there are also significant limitations. Roman Gusarov, editor-in-chief of the Avia.ru portal, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta: “In the long history of aircraft production, humanity has not found significant application of such devices in the national economy. Their weakness is too great dependence on the weather. And in our harsh climatic conditions, this equipment will more often stand in a hangar than fly.”
However, according to experts, it is still possible to find a targeted application – for example, transporting goods in areas that do not often experience strong winds. But here's the thing – over long distances the weather will change, and complete calm during takeoff does not guarantee that after a few hundred kilometers the device will not encounter a storm. So you will have to make very accurate forecasts along the route. “If airships were truly commercially viable, they would be widely used around the world, but we do not see this, although of course there are individual examples,” Gusarov said.
Other experts agree that zeppelins have a fairly limited range, although technological developments could breathe a second life into them. Oleg Panteleev, executive director of the AviaPort agency, told RG: “Attempts to create airships that can solve application problems have been going on for decades, including in Russia. Several models have been created, up to record-breaking machines. Some are used to monitor and patrol extended objects. One way or another, both Russian and world experience show that this technology is not so popular and profitable compared to traditional aircraft”.
According to him, in the age of aviation, airships offered long ranges and flight times, acceptable safety for the time, and high rates of transport and speed. But airplanes have become faster and more reliable. And although they require runways and cumbersome infrastructure, they have become more attractive both for transporting passengers and for transporting large amounts of goods. Additionally, a serious operational problem remains unresolved. “A balloon with a huge shell area will quickly gain mass when flying in conditions of heavy snow and ice. An effective solution to dump snow or ice from it with moderate energy consumption has not yet been found,” Panteleev said. However, according to aviation experts, airships still look attractive for niche applications in simple weather conditions – especially with an environmentally friendly power plant. The fundamental problem remains the development of technology, including in the field of materials, as well as the solutions to applied problems that science has to offer.
From hydrogen to helium
Today, such disasters that befell the Hindenburg and the Soviet-V6 are unlikely to happen. In any case, the consequences of the incidents will certainly be less tragic. The Moscow Aviation Institute “RG” said that flammable hydrogen has not been used to create lift for a long time. “Modern airships with shells made of highly durable synthetic materials, filled with inert helium gas, with rotating propellers ensure high safety and comfort for passengers,” said Mr. Yury Shcherbkov, senior lecturer at the Department of Aerospace Equipment Design and Certification at MAI.
According to experts, transporting goods on undeveloped lands requires high performance features from airships. Such a device would have to pick up and deliver at small, unprepared locations, most likely without landing. He must be able to stand on the outdoor base for quite some time. At the same time, takeoff, landing, and docking at the base must be automated as much as possible. Formula for using cargo balloons: take goods that helicopters cannot lift and airplanes cannot receive, and transport them to places where airplanes cannot land and helicopters cannot reach. That is, we are talking about working on underdeveloped lands.
Another thing is that when transporting long distances, airships move much slower than planes and helicopters. Their niche lies in air travel, short flights over natural and architectural attractions. Airships cannot and should not compete with established air transport systems based on airplanes and helicopters; His task is to supplement them, work in areas where these devices are ineffective, Shcherbkov is sure.
MAI also clarified that today Russia has experience in creating relatively small airships for advertising, surveillance and passenger transportation. The largest device built and one of the largest in the world of its kind is the soft airship Au-30 with a volume of 5,500 thousand cubic meters, designed to carry 8 passengers. However, large cargo airships currently only exist in projects. The gas balloon was designed and built by the companies of the Aerostatika Aviation Center and Avgur, the thermal balloon of the Russian Aeronautical Association. In addition, the development of transport airships is carried out by the Stratospheric Systems Technical Center and the company Aeronova.
The flight was still normal
RG was invited to the Aeronova laboratory to see what stage the future airship design is currently at, and they showed how drawings of the device became a flying prototype. The company creates an entire line of airships – varying in characteristics and missions. The arsenal already has a working airship NOVA-1, on which in the Moscow region near Voskresensk they are carrying out sophisticated steps in controlling and checking the operation of all systems. The device can rise to a height of up to 1000 meters above sea level, accelerate to 70 km/h, lift a load of up to 30 kg and travel a distance of up to 200 km. It seems very modest compared to the airships of a century ago, but currently this is only a test model.
There is another prototype – AEROLET-01. This is a hybrid that combines aerodynamic and aerodynamic principles to create lift. It got faster – it reached speeds of up to 100 km/h. It is up to 2000 meters high, can carry a load of 100 kg and travel 300 km. It can be used for scientific and surveillance missions, aerial photography and surveillance of territories. Ahead is the creation of larger and more powerful devices.
“For example, to transport rocket stages to the Vostochny cosmodrome, you need a carrying capacity of up to 300 tons,” Fedor Konstantinov, Aeronova's technical director, told RG. According to him, the development of such models has not yet begun, but initial models will be created in the near future.
“Now we have an area for the production of artillery shells, the entire machine yard has been purchased. It is planned to start production in March. By the end of April – in May we will have a large shell for NOVA-2. The shell and tail unit for it have also been produced,” Konstantinov said. Such a balloon will lift half a ton of weight and can be used as a personal air transport, air taxi or for sightseeing trips.
When designed, NOVA-2 can take off and land with wind speeds of 20 m/s. At the same time, it is possible to store the aircraft without a hangar at a speed of 30 m/s (practically a hurricane) – using fixed mooring masts. “In reality, not all aircraft are capable of taking off and landing in such windy conditions. But if a storm appears in the air, the path will of course change, but nothing bad will happen to the plane,” Konstantinov explains. Furthermore, the device can be unmanned – controlled from the ground from anywhere in the world. The operator sees and controls everything using cameras and telemetry data. However, aviation regulations still do not allow unmanned passenger flights. Although abroad, such as in Dubai, the process is already established for developers, the developer explains.
There are also plans for larger models – for example, NOVA-8. “It will have power plants to generate 600 kW of electricity. There will be a total of six motors – 100 kW for each rotor,” Konstantinov said. And the heaviest in the line is NOVA-35 with a carrying capacity of 10 tons and the ability to travel up to 5000 km. At the same time, the device is designed with operation in all climates in mind.
“In Yakutia, they were interested in such devices. They had big problems supplying small villages,” says Vadim Zubkevich, chief designer of the NOVA line. According to him, these models are being developed in two versions at once – piloted and unmanned. The test version will be more suitable for transporting people, and the drone will handle the “heavy load.”
By the way
Zeppelin NT has been operating sightseeing flights from Friedrichshafen over Lake Constance in Germany since 2001. Flight times range from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Fares start at around 250 euros for a short journey.
