Supplier qualification
Obtain current specifications, availability, export conditions and quotations. Confirm interfaces, operating temperatures, power, mass and maintainability for the selected assembly.
MISSION ENGINEERING
Metamorphose mission lab
Configuration screening for lighter-than-air observation systems, sensing payloads and air–ground integration.
MISSION DASHBOARDConfigure the system.
Configure the system.
Explore the operating point.
Sixteen mission starting points. Worldwide coordinates. A shared configuration across flight, engineering and ground-integration views.
Tethered mode holds a fixed station: translational speed is zero; wind sets aerodynamic loading. Select Untethered for flight-speed testing.
Configuration budget checks pass.
EO · ARCHIVED IMAGERY
Central Valley, USA
36.73000 / -119.95005SIM RUN 0.0 s · 1×
STATION HOLD
HDG 90° · CAM 0°AGL 150 m · GS 0.0 m/s
AS 0.0 · WIND 6 m/s
LINK AVAILABLE · 49.4 dBSWARM 2 DOCKED
ZOOM 1.0× · TILT 0°
GSD 8.4 cm/px
BAT 80% · 1.7 kW
Central Valley, USA
36.73000 / -119.95005SIM RUN 0.0 s · 1×
STATION HOLD
HDG 90° · CAM 0°AGL 150 m · GS 0.0 m/s
AS 0.0 · WIND 6 m/s
LINK AVAILABLE · 49.4 dBSWARM 2 DOCKED
ZOOM 1.0× · TILT 0°
GSD 8.4 cm/px
BAT 80% · 1.7 kW
● Platform · ■ Ground node · circle: camera width · line: command path · track: simulated flight
Position36.73000, -119.95000
Ground speed0.0 m/s
Air speed limit19.3 m/s
Geometric GSD8.37 cm/px
Camera width216 m
Battery reserve18.6 h
Imagery: Esri / Maxar / Earthstar · calculated mission telemetry.
AERODYNAMIC SCREENINGInspect the hull.
Inspect the hull.
Compare the loads.
A three-dimensional geometry view and reproducible axial drag and power checks, with explicit input assumptions and a gust-speed comparison.
ANALYTICAL BENCH
RUNNING · 10.0 m/sq 61.3 Pa
D 462.1 N
35.8 × 8.9 m · pitch 0°RUNNING · 10.0 m/sq 61.3 Pa
D 462.1 N
EFFECTIVE Cd0.12
DYNAMIC PRESSURE61 Pa
REYNOLDS NUMBER24.5 M
DRAG (BALANCE)462 N
LIFT (BALANCE)0 N
CL0
MACH0.029
SHAFT POWER7.11 kW
GUST SHAFT POWER23.99 kW
SKIN FRICTION Cf0.00258
FRICTION DRAG124 N
BL THICKNESS AT TAIL44.1 cm
PITCHING MOMENT (MUNK)0 N·m
5 m/s
10 m/s
15 m/s
Analytical axial model · ISA density · Sutherland viscosity · 4:1 hull · η 65% · user-entered Cd. Gust cycle: 8 s. Balance: Allen–Perkins body-of-revolution (η 0.6, Cdc 1.2). Cp: Lamb prolate-spheroid potential flow.
ENGINEERING ASSURANCE
Evidence before specification.
Virtual testing resources are optimised to match real-life conditions, giving a confident basis for configuration decisions. They complement, rather than replace, delivery-day testing.
Computational validation
Use qualified CFD, FEA and hardware-in-the-loop toolchains with documented boundary conditions. Correlate ML surrogates with independent test cases and documented error bounds.
Physical correlation
Correlate envelope materials, helium permeability, aerodynamics, propulsion, tether loads, sensor calibration and control performance against measured tests.
Delivery gates
Agree the site survey, permissions, acceptance criteria, maintenance, operator training and support. Price, production capacity and lead time follow a supplier-backed configuration and programme plan.
Open interoperability standards
Interfaces and data products follow publicly available standards used across defence and civil programmes: STANAG 4586 for unmanned-system control, STANAG 4609 and MISB ST 0601 for motion imagery and metadata, and Cursor on Target / MAVLink message formats for track and telemetry exchange. Compliance is engineered and verified against the published standard texts — no programme affiliation is claimed.
Standards-based test environments
Virtual and bench testing is structured around the same publicly documented test disciplines used in NATO- and EU-aligned programmes: hardware-in-the-loop avionics rigs, environmental screening (temperature, vibration, ingress) to published MIL-STD-810 and RTCA DO-160 method categories, and link-budget verification against ITU propagation models. Every test protocol, input and tolerance is recorded in the exported report.
Integrated around the mission
Commercial sensors, radios, compute, propulsion and charging equipment can support an engineered mission system. System integration aligns component interfaces, power and maintenance requirements.
The dashboard addresses initial mass, axial propulsion, battery reserve, camera sampling, reference RF and ground power questions. Terrain, live weather, airworthiness, actual imagery, flight-control dynamics, sensor detection probability and airborne swarm release remain programme-specific validation tasks.
Prepare a mission briefCOMPONENT LIBRARY
Technical & operating data sheets.
Download the TODS for every component category used across the platform family, air segment, ground assets and swarm.
Helium envelope & ballonet system
Contains lifting gas; air ballonets maintain pressure and trim through the day–night thermal cycle.
Electric propulsion unit
Vectored electric propellers or ducted fans for station-keeping and transit against wind.
Lithium-ion energy storage
Stores solar and ground-supplied energy for night operations and peak loads.
Flexible photovoltaic film
Envelope-bonded solar modules supply daytime load and battery charging.
Electro-optical tether & winch
Delivers ground power and fibre data while restraining the platform.
Stabilised EO/IR gimbal
Day zoom camera with thermal imager for detection, tracking and recognition.
Airborne LiDAR scanner
Produces 3D point clouds for terrain, canopy, city and infrastructure models.
Multispectral / hyperspectral imager
Measures vegetation health, water quality and mineral signatures.
Gas & particulate sensing package
Profiles CH₄, CO₂, NO₂, O₃ and PM2.5/PM10 for air quality and emissions work.
Edge AI compute module
Runs onboard detection, tracking and change analysis, cutting downlink bandwidth.
MANET mesh radio
Private encrypted IP network between platform, drones and ground without infrastructure.
SATCOM terminal
Beyond-line-of-sight backhaul for untethered and remote operations.
GNSS/INS & GPS-denied navigation
Position and attitude with resilience when satellite navigation is jammed or unavailable.
Mobile AI CCTV mast
Trailer- or vehicle-mounted telescopic camera mast with edge analytics and solar power.
Drone-in-a-box dock
Weatherproof dock that launches, recovers and recharges UAVs automatically.
Inductive charging pad
Contact-free wireless charging for drones on vessels and exposed sites.
Off-grid solar container station
Containerised power, operations and storage hub for remote deployments.
Helium servicing trailer
Stores and delivers helium for inflation and top-up of envelopes.
Daughter UAV (quadcopter / VTOL)
Close inspection, mapping and relay drones directed by the airborne platform.
YOUR MISSION. OUR NEXT FRONTIER.
Discuss a mission