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Aviation History
1995
1995 - 3458.PDF
The Sentinel 1000's top speed is 60kt (1 lOkin/h) and its maximum altitude is 8,000ft (2,440m). The YEZ-2A will be 143m long, achieve a top speed of 87kt and float to 15,000ft. Its envelope, with a Kevlar outer ply, will be seven times larger than that of the Sentinel 1000. 'X' TAIL DESIGN The Sentinel 1000 has an "X"-configured tail de sign. Flight-control surfaces are directed by a "fly- by-light" fibre-optic-signalled flight-control sys tem (FCS). The dual-computer FCS was devel oped by GEC Marconi Avionics and includes a side-stick controller and a three-axis autopilot. The precursor to the YEZ-2A is powered by two modified Porsche car engines mounted on the gondola. Engineering manager Charles Klusmann says that die YEZ-2A will have two engines mounted on a beam which runs through the envelope and a single, tail-mount ed, sprint engine. Westinghouse had originally planned to use Italian-made CRM diesel engines designed for small navy coastal vessels. The YEZ-2A will now be powered by three uprated German-made Zoche ZO-04A com pound engines, each offering l,490kW (2,000hp) take-off power. The YEZ-2A will have the same FCS as that of the Sentinel 1000. The YEZ-2A's pressurised gondola, to be constructed of either aluminum or composites, has gone through a radical redesign, says Klusmann. Originally to have been 26m long on three decks (including the pilot's compart ment), it will now be a simpler, less-costly, 31 in- long one-deck design. The YEZ-2A will have an endurance of 48h between refuelling by naval vessels. The idea is to keep it on-station for up to 30 days. It would loi ter as far as 80km away from a naval battle group, with the operating distance limited to die range of the datalink. Two pilots and ten to 15 others would operate die giant non-rigid airship, die first to be built to full military standards. Westinghouse and the USN have yet to deter mine which radar will be mounted within die helium-filled envelope, but the Westinghouse APG-66 and Texas Instruments APS-134 and APS-137 radars have been suggested. According to Adams, an analysis performed by the USN in 1993 indicated a requirement for —,J^.IJJJS1J± J JJJ-\ J J J-IJJS as many as 20 YEZ-2As. At a cost of $275 mil lion apiece, a USN airship production pro gramme alone could be worth $5.5 billion. Adams says that the US Army "...could very likely join the programme". Westinghouse is floating the idea of using military airships to protect Patriot air-defence missiles. He says that the concept is backed by the Pentagon. The US defence department is studying whether airships can help in the rapid transfer of military equipment and troops. Westing house has made an approach. Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works is developing a lighter- than-air cargo-lifter design of its own. Westinghouse believes that the US Marine Corps should use unmanned sensor-laden air ships to monitor future combat operations. Adams says that government agencies world wide should also consider using airships for mar itime-surveillance, border-patrol and internal- security missions. As design work continues on the naval airship prototype, Westinghouse engineers are separate ly developing a follow-on to the Sentinel 1000. The proposed Sentinel 1240 would be slightly larger than its predecessor, with a new gondola, 15m long, designed to accommodate 40 passen gers. A 12m-long 20-passenger gondola is envi sioned for the Sentinel 1000. The Sentinel 1000/1240 would be powered by two basic ZO-04A eight-cylinder, radial diesel engines. The Sentinel 1240 may also have a sin gle, tail-mounted, sprint engine. A simpler FCS may be installed for commercial operators. Westinghouse Airships' future production and support site will have to be larger than the one at Weeksville, which is not big enough to build the YEZ-2A. Potential sites include Moffett Field, California, and Lakehurst, New Jersey, where Second World War-era ZPG-3 W airships were housed. The Hindenberg, the world's most famous airship, exploded into flames while mooring at Lakehurst in 1937. During the Second World War, Navy air ships compiled an almost perfect record as fleet escorts, and Adams believes that the USN lead ership and other potential customers for mod ern airships should look "back to the future" in considering whether "...the [modern] airship's time is about to come". • BRUGGEMANN KG Sole Sentinel 1000 met a fiery fate in August FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 29 November - 5 December 1995 Troop-, Rescue- and Cargo Parachutes Helicopter Underslung Systems from 1500kgs - 9000kgs Cargo Seat Containers Manufacturer of: Parachutes • Belly Nets • Seat Containers • Cargo Handling Systems • Ground Handling Equipment • Helicopter Underslung Transport Systems etc. For further information please contact: BRUGGEMANN KG Am Kalkheck 2 D-58313Herdecke Germany Phone: (02330)-97840 Fax: (02330)-8244 Telex: 8239540 37
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