Port St. Joe-Wewahitchka, Florida and Auburn, Alabama, Sept. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
UAV Corp’s (OTC Pink: UMAV) Skyborne Technology (STI), Research in Flight (RIF) as Prime contractor, Auburn University and Gulf Coast State College have successfully tested the pre-flight systems of the U.S. Airforce AFWERX program prototype the DATT MA 600 (Detachable Airship from a Tether Technology) Hybrid Electric Extended Range Airship with Modular Payload (e2RAMP) under the 1St phase of the Air Force AFWERX contract. With initial buoyancy modifications, multiple test flights are planned for later this month.
With support of AFWERX, a United States Air Force program, the four partners are ready to gear up for a Phase II contract. Under a Phase II agreement the team will manufacture and test a detachable airship from a tether (DATT) as a cylinder shape aerial platform with new aerodynamic properties for extended flight. In addition to the DATT airship, the electric propulsion (5 motors) will be powered by advanced fuel cells. The lifting gas for the platform will involve the integration of a mixture of both helium and hydrogen gases to reduce the cost of operations.
“At Research in Flight, our partnership with Skyborne Technology, Auburn University and Gulf Coast State College is leading to novel cutting-edge airship technologies which will change the way airships are used in pursuit of security,” stated Dr. Roy Hartfield
“We are quite pleased with the successful testing of all pre-flights systems of the prototype airship as we prepare to scale up to the 250-foot DATT MA 600 airship. We are increasing buoyancy and adding additional optics to the prototype to capture the advanced gimbled two axis propulsion system with state-of-the-art proprietary software, stated Michael Lawson CEO of STI.”
“The novel airship capabilities being developed and operationalized by Skyborne Technology and their partners provide a unique and robust set of observation, communication, and data collection tools for Gulf Coast, as we equip and implement Team Tempest,” said Dr. John Holdnak, President of Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Florida.
This successful prototype pre-test in preparation for upcoming flight tests for the U.S. Air Force proves out our next generation airship design. The semi-rigid airship design with advance propulsion and aerodynamic lifting capabilities is unique to airships currently operating. Our design allows a coupling of the airship with onboard eVTOL drones, this gives the users eyes in the sky for long term surveillance and transmitting capabilities with immediate close inspection in real-time. Previously, operating airships did not have these combined integrated features; our new DATT MA600 will be able to perform a vast array of missions. Our partnership with Auburn University, Research in flight along with Gulf Coast State College and Gulf County is why the prototype and our future fully operation DATT MA 600 is quickly moving to a future launch date,” stated Billy Robinson Chairman of UAV Corp.
About Research in Flight
The company was established with the aim of developing new aerodynamic and hydrodynamic analysis tools for aerospace engineering applications. The nucleus of this startup is the FlightStream® umerical flow solver that allows for rapid analysis of flow results over advanced geometries. The FlightStream® solver is versatile and foundational in its ability to work with unstructured surface meshes and have solver run times of only seconds.
Contact: Roy Hartfield (roy.hartfield@researchinflight.com)
Website: www.researchinflight.com
About Auburn University
The Vehicle Systems, Dynamics, and Design Laboratory (VSDDL), part of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University, focuses on sizing, performance analysis, and flight simulation of novel aircraft concepts. The lab has developed a vehicle sizing and mission analysis framework applicable to fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and buoyant vehicles as well as multiple cockpit flight simulators for performing piloted simulations of novel aircraft and flight control architectures.
About UAV Corp
UAV Corp (UMAV) is a Research and Development holding company with a focus on Communication Aerospace and Environmental Solutions. Researchers at UAV Corp are actively engaged in solving transformative problems for the government and commercial clients. We are working on a wide range of topics including but not limited to advanced communication, Airship and Drone Technology and low altitude analysis of carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion, new energy processes, biomass conversion, energy efficiency crop and mining management.
About Skyborne Technology, Inc.
Skyborne Technology, Inc. has significant investments in research & development of Intellectual Property and proprietary designs in areas covering semi-rigid and rigid airship design, reverse-ballonet technology, mooring and hybrid propulsion that have competitive advantages for both its Spherical and Cylinder Class tether/airship designs. Skyborne Technology has a manufacturing facility in Wewahitchka, Florida and owns the airport in Port St. Joe, Florida for manned and unmanned operations.
About Gulf Coast State College
Gulf Coast and its surrounding communities experience Category 5 Hurricane Michael in October, 2018 - the 3rd most powerful storm to ever hit the Continental United States. In response to the harsh lessons learned during and after hurricane landfall, the college began developing Team Tempest - a regional emergency/disaster response team focused on the utilization of unmanned aerial, aquatic, and terrestrial vehicle systems to aid local governmental and law enforcement agencies in their planning for and response to natural and man-made emergencies. These capabilities, in conjunction with other emergency management programs and training activities being developed by the college and its partners, will ensure those we serve and those we train are prepared and able to respond to whatever comes next.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:
This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable US securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals, where applicable and the state of the capital markets. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Comments