A presentation of the country's first "airship" took place in Russia. It took place on August 8, 2013 in the city of Kirzhach, located on the territory of the Vladimir region. Here "Avgur Aeronautical Center" presented the Russian-made airship AU-30. Modern Russian airships are planned to be used for the transportation of goods, solutions for technical work, for tourism purposes. At the same time, the project leaders promise that in spite of the fact that the devices are mainly supposed to be supplied to the military, they will be able to generate income. The first commercial contracts for airships AU-30 "Augur" plans to conclude in September this year.
The aeronautical base in the city of Kirzhach began a new life. Created at the turn of the century, it could not survive the 2008 financial crisis. The equipment located here was damaged by vandals and eventually became inoperative. However, now the specialists of the Avgur Aeronautical Center have again restored the base, as well as one of the AU-30 airships. The plans of "Augur" are the organization of test and experimental subdivisions. It is assumed that they will be needed for the implementation in practice of the company's next rather large project - the creation of the Atlant multipurpose airship. It is planned that "Augur" itself will be able to train technical specialists and pilots, of which there are very few in Russia at the present time. The second airship AU-30, which is currently inoperative in the hangar, will be restored and will be used to test components and assemblies of the new Atlant airship.
According to representatives of the Russian company, the AU-30 airship today meets all the most modern airship building requirements. The airship is quite economical in operation, considering the use of expensive helium: firstly, it flies without the consumption of lifting gas, and secondly, the natural leakage of helium is minimal, its shell is made of a composite material. The AU-30 can perform vertical take-off, and the navigation equipment installed on the airship ensures its round-the-clock operation.
It is assumed that the AU-30 airships can be used for technical monitoring, patrolling the area, taking photos and videos and for tourist purposes, and carrying out rescue operations. Elite tourism should be another area of use for the airship. The representative of the "Augur" company noted that, of course, we are ready to revive airship tourism: this is a unique sensation, a unique experience. He also noted that airship tourism will remain entertainment for wealthy citizens. According to the company, in order for the business to pay off, an hour-long flight on the airship will cost a tourist 400 euros, provided that there will also be some advertisements on board the airship.
In the design of the new Russian airship AU-30, the main concepts of modern airship construction were implemented - this is flight without the consumption of lift gas, the possibility of takeoff and landing both vertically and with a short takeoff run, the use of modern onboard equipment and materials, control of the propeller thrust vector in the vertical plane … Its shell was made of modern fabric-film material.
The AU-30 airship can rightfully be attributed to the new generation airships. The flight and navigation equipment installed on it allows you to make long flights at any time of the day or night, in the most comfortable conditions for the airship crew. The unique automatic piloting system installed on it allows you to navigate pre-set routes with high accuracy. An economical power plant and a large supply of fuel allow for long-range flights.
Due to the possibility of using such piloting methods as reverse, "raznotyag" engines and changing the thrust vector in a wide range, the airship was provided with a very high degree of controllability at low flight speeds. The layout and dimensions of the gondola allow, depending on the purpose of the airship, to produce it in various versions - passenger; patrol, with the possibility of placing on board a wide range of equipment that allows you to solve problems in all types of aerial photography and video filming, security and monitoring of public events, minerals and other objects of interest to the customer; with a VIP lounge for elite tourism. At the moment, work is being carried out at a high pace to certify the aircraft in accordance with international and Russian requirements for aircraft of this class. The AU-30 already has a fairly large circle of customers, and there is no doubt that new opportunities will open up for it in the future.
Airship AU-30 for work and leisure
According to Mikhail Talesnikov, who is the commercial director of Avgur Aeronautical Center CJSC, the first contracts with commercial customers of the airship can be signed as early as September 2013. “We are closely cooperating with many administrations of the northern regions of the country, but the administration of Yakutia is most interested in the airship. We wanted to deploy an aviation center not far from Yakutsk and perform a wide range of work there: technical monitoring of vast territories, geological exploration,”Talesnikov shared his company's plans.
According to Mikhail Talesnikov, the AU-30 airship is much better suited for these purposes than a helicopter. He cited monitoring of power lines as an example. Today in Russia there are more than 100 thousand kilometers of power lines. Their condition must be monitored for 150 different parameters. For this, a laser scanner and a set of sensors are used. These devices function poorly at high vibration generated by a helicopter flying at low speed. In addition, these works are very often carried out using the Mi-8 helicopter, which is not particularly fuel efficient, as well as environmental friendliness: the AU-30 airship burns 20 times less fuel. “Today this is done on a Mi-8 helicopter, which burns 800 kg of fuel per hour. We burn only 40 kg of fuel to perform the same work. We fly slowly and without vibration. In this regard, an airship is an ideal carrier,”said Talesnikov. According to him, the AU-30 is great for work in the northern regions of Russia: the airship is certified for flying at temperatures down to -40 degrees and can be fueled with ordinary motor gasoline.
The second area of application of the AU-30 airships may well become elite tourism. At the same time, the company emphasizes that, on the one hand, such use of airships is less profitable for "Augur", on the other hand, airship tourism will continue to be entertainment for the wealthy public. It is planned that the AU-30 will be able to fly, for example, over the "Golden Ring" - while the flight speed will be in the range from 60 to 100 km / h, depending on the direction of the wind. At the same time, Gennady Verba, President of the Avgur company, believes that the use of the airship as a regular transport is inexpedient - the AU-30 airship is able to take on board only 8 people.
However, all plans for a brighter future are still hampered by the lack of the necessary certificates for the company. It is assumed that the entire package of necessary documents will be obtained within the next year. During this time, the company must obtain an IAC certificate and validate it in EASA. After that, it will be possible to begin deliveries of AU-30 airships abroad. According to Mikhail Talesnikov, several dozen customers from abroad have already been interested in the products of the "Augur" company. All in all, in the world, according to his estimates, the need for airships of this class is estimated at 200 units. In Russia alone, up to 100 such airships may be required. With such a need, the enterprise will be able to start production of 10-12 airships annually. According to Talesnikov, already now "Augur" is able to produce 4-5 airships per year, the cost of the AU-30 airship starts at $ 3 million and may vary depending on the configuration.
In the future, the company is going to go through an IPO
The next major project of the "Augur" company is the development of the Atlant airship, which should become an economical, capacious transport airship capable of transporting various goods over long distances. It is reported that, depending on the modification, Atlant will be able to lift up to 250 tons of cargo into the air, transporting it over a distance of up to 5 thousand km. The creators of the airship declare that this device will combine the best qualities of an airplane, a helicopter, an airship and even a hovercraft. And among other things, it will be able to take off and land from any surface, even from water. According to the estimates of the representatives of "Augur", the recoupment of "Atlant" can come in 4-7 years after its acquisition and will depend on the type of work and the load of the airship.
This project is funded by the Skolkovo Innovation Fund. At the stage of creating a prototype of the Atlant airship, where this program is now located, the fund finances 75% of the work, another 25% of the work is financed by a co-investor. At the stage of creating the Atlanta pilot industrial model, the Skolkovo fund will account for 50% of the funding.
The Russian company has very serious plans for the Atlant airship - after the implementation of this project, the company is going to go public. “Everything we are doing now is tied to commerce. Firstly, we cannot afford not to earn money, since we are business people. Secondly, we want to be useful,”notes Mikhail Talesnikov. True, according to Talesnikov, the Atlant airship project will be implemented no earlier than in 4 years. In the meantime, the company intends to seriously engage in the commercialization of its finished project - AU-30.
Flight technical characteristics of the Au-30 airship:
Airship shell volume: 5065 m3.
Length: 55.0 m.
Diameter: 13.5 m.
Maximum takeoff weight of the airship: 4850 kg.
Payload weight: 1400 kg.
Maximum flight speed: 110 km / h, cruising speed: 80 km / h
Power plant: 2 Lom-Praha М332С engines, power 2x170 hp
Flight duration at maximum speed: 5 hours.
Maximum flight duration: 24 hours.
Ferry range: 3000 km.
Operating altitude: up to 1500 m.
Maximum flight altitude: 2500 m.
Airship capacity: 8 people
Crew: up to 2 people.
Starting team: 4-6 people.
