"drone cacing udara" siap di uji coba

[kullatiro]

 Drones and satellites dominate the
U.S. military's surveillance arsenal, but
fleets of unmanned airships could
soon join in keeping an eye on
battlefields. One robotic airship
contender, the modular Argus One,
has upcoming flight demonstrations
scheduled at a U.S. Department of
Energy Nevada Test Site that hosted
nuclear bomb tests during the Cold
War.
The Argus One's design resembles a
segmented sky worm made of
connecting modules, and has the
flexibility to quickly change its flight
path as it slinks through the sky. It can
also carry 30 pounds of surveillance
sensors or cameras — true to its
name taken from an all-seeing Greek
god with 100 eyes. U.S. Department of
Defense observers plan to watch it in
action during the scheduled
December flight tests.
Having a flexible body structure
means the Argus One can deploy
from even the most remote,
mountainous regions of Afghanistan
without the need for hangars or
airport infrastructure, and can fly for
several days straight even in rough
weather. Its flight control comes from
air-filled bags within each separate
module.
Such ruggedness and a promise of
lower costs may give manned airships
or robotic aircraft a run for their
money, according to its description by
developer World Surveillance Group
Inc. The Argus One can even maintain
a fairly stealthy profile in hostile
territory, because its payload
represents the only radar-reflecting
part of its flexible body.
Once the Nevada flight tests wrap up,
World Surveillance Group and its
partner, Eastcor Engineering, plan to
prepare a performance data package
being developed by Space Florida.


http://www.innovationnewsdaily.com/690-argus-one-airship-flight-test.html