High Altitude Testing
Facts
The High Altitude Federation, established in January 2007, advances and rapidly infuses technologies to achieve persistent presence at high altitudes (~65,000 feet) for wide-area communications and surveillance. The AerOhio1 (tailname) Aerostat vehicle is a cost-effective testbed that furthers the state-of-the-art in platforms and ultimately serves as an operative precursor of high-altitude airships.
Customer Focus
The Federation encourages partnerships with organizations mutually interested in the following prioritized focus areas:
- Revolutionize the Warfighter with game-changing technologies that will reach to high altitude
- Further advance high altitude research and technologiy in power, propulsion, remote sensing, radar, communications, operations and systems integration critical to HALE
- Assist various government partners in pursuit of their missions and goals which are synergistic to the Federation’s primary goal for the Warighter (e.g. Army radio relays for over the horizon communications)
- Inspire commercial interests that further small business growth and simultaneously advance processes critical to HALE operations and payload systems (e.g. Environmental testing for water studies)
The HALE Proving Station is the complete test package: Aerostat, Payload Bay, Gantry, Command Center, and Communications Trailers.
Flight Operating Period: Apr through Dec
AerOhio1 Characteristics:
Operator: SkySentry, LLC
Length: 75 feet; Diameter: 25 feet; Tail Fin Span: 32 feet; Volume: 23,000 cu ft
Payload: 200 pounds to 1,000 feet or 150 pounds to 3,000 feet
Testing Conditions: 3,000 ft AGL, day and night, Visual Flight
Rules only, winds < 12 kts
Crew: three to operate once inflated with helium
Photos
