Thermoplan

This article is about the airship. It is not to be confused with Thermoplan AG.

The Thermoplan is a Russian lenticular-shaped hybrid airship.[1] The key feature of Thermoplan is its two section structure. The main section of the airship is filled with helium, while the other section is filled with air that can be heated or cooled by the engines. This unusual design, historically known as a "rozière", greatly improves the manoeuvrability compared to an all-helium type.[2] The disc shape is also intended to improve manoeuvrability and to help resist winds up to 20 m/s (45 mph; 39 kn; 72 km/h).

The project was started in the late 1980s, with the first working prototype tested in 1991. That was a rather small airship, and a full-scale model was not built at that time due to problems caused by the economic crisis of the 1990s. In the late 2000s, the project was revived under the name Locomoskyner (Локомоскайнер) by the Russian company Lokomosky in Ulyanovsk.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pinto, E. and Barata, J.; "High Maneuverability Lenticular Airship", Technological Innovation for Value Creation: Third IFIP WG 5.5/SOCOLNET Doctoral Conference on Computing, Electrical and Industrial Systems, DoCEIS 2012, Ed. Camarinha-Matos, Shahamatnia and Nunes (2012), Pages 207-217
  2. ↑ Ege, L.; "Balloons and Airships". Blandford (1973), Page 105.
  3. ↑ The official site of the Lokomosky company
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