Five tethered aerostat systems from the sea-based 56K to the high-lift 660K, the autonomous Quad Skyship 2000, and fully certified airships. Designed, manufactured, flown and sustained in-house.
An aerostat flies in harmony with the wind rather than against it. An aerodynamic hull, stabilizing fins and balanced tethering hold it nose-into-wind and on station. A single tether carries both power up and fiber-optic data down — so the platform never lands to refuel and the sensor never stops reporting.
Selected by the U.S. Navy for its Sea Based Aerostat System (SBAS). The 56K was developed for maritime surveillance — deployable from vessels to extend radar range for tracking, and able to operate at altitudes up to 2,500 ft while the ship is under way. It is currently deployed OCONUS as a mobile land-based system carrying a range of payloads.
| Hull volume | 56,000 ft³ · 1,600 m³ |
|---|---|
| Length | 108 ft · 33 m |
| Payload | 816 lb · 370 kg |
| Operating altitude | 3,300 – 7,900 ft · 1,000 – 2,400 m |
| Mooring | Mobile / relocatable · vessel-based |
| Tether | Power + fiber-optic data |
The tactical workhorse. The U.S. Army selected the 74K as the backbone of its Persistent Threat Detection System, and it carried the mission through more than a decade of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan — delivering extended-range surveillance and communications relay to troops on the ground.
| Hull volume | 74,000 ft³ · 2,100 m³ |
|---|---|
| Length | 114 ft · 35 m |
| Payload | 1,102 lb · 500 kg |
| Operating altitude | 4,921 ft · 1,500 m |
| Radar horizon | 99 mi · 160 km |
| Mooring | Mobile / relocatable |
| Tether | Power + fiber-optic data |
The fixed-site standard for the Tethered Aerostat Radar System. Stationed at Cudjoe Key and across the TARS network, the 275K has sustained the longest continuous surveillance mission in the program's history — and it moors in steady winds up to 90 knots.
| Hull volume | 275,176 ft³ |
|---|---|
| Length | 186 ft |
| Payload | 1,300 lb |
| Operating altitude | 15,000 ft |
| Mooring | Fixed base |
| Wind tolerance | Stable flight in 65-knot winds |
The border workhorse. The 420K carries a heavier radar payload to 15,000 feet along the southwest border, providing the low-level detection picture that ground radar cannot produce — supporting counter-narcotics interdiction and air sovereignty missions continuously.
| Hull volume | 420,000 ft³ |
|---|---|
| Length | 210 ft |
| Payload | 2,200 lb |
| Operating altitude | 15,000 ft |
| Mooring | Fixed base |
The heavy lifter — 250 feet of hull carrying the largest sensor packages in the fleet to 15,000 feet, with detection ranges reaching out to 200 nautical miles. Built for maritime domain awareness and wide-area surveillance where the target set is far offshore.
| Hull volume | 660,000 ft³ |
|---|---|
| Length | 250 ft |
| Payload | 4,000 – 8,800 lb |
| Operating altitude | 15,000 ft |
| Detection range | Up to 200 nmi |
| Mooring | Fixed base |
A new class of platform. Helium buoyancy carries the lift while four all-electric thrusters handle automated vertical launch, recovery and station-keeping — tethered to 400 ft AGL or free-flying to 1,200 ft. It transports fully or partially inflated in a standard 40 ft container that doubles as the launch and recovery platform, so there is no fixed site, hangar or mooring to stand up.
Because buoyancy — not the propellers — does the lifting, propulsion draws under 30% of takeoff weight and the rest of the power goes to the payload. A single operator can deploy and recover the system, or command several at once for wide-area coverage, at roughly $350 per hour — more than 10× below the manned helicopters and aircraft it replaces.
| Length · diameter · volume | ~30 ft · 7 ft · 2,000 ft³ |
|---|---|
| Operating altitude | 400 ft tethered · 1,200 ft untethered (AGL) |
| Payload @ 400 ft | ~100 lb tethered · 120 lb untethered |
| Payload power | 6 kW |
| Wind tolerance | Stable payload aim in ~30-knot gusts |
| Mission time | 1–2 weeks tethered |
| Deployment | Single operator · 40 ft container / trailer |
| Est. operating cost | ~$350/hr · >10× lower than manned aircraft |
Where an aerostat holds a fixed point, an airship moves the sensor. Our fully certified Skyship and Sentinel airships deliver 12+ hours of endurance for maritime patrol, ISR, communications relay and wide-area search — operating from land bases or vessel-based moorings, and repositioning with the mission.
The same certified aircraft fly the world's most visible commercial campaigns through our advertising division — proof of the airframe's reliability and reach.
Detailed platform data, payload integration options and contract vehicle information for government and prime contractor programs.
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