2013 Lighter-Than-Air Brochure

Lighter-Than-Air
Manufacturing softgood structures
for aerostats, airships and other
Lighter-Than-Air vehicles
Lighter-Than-Air Structures
Producing Reliable, Quality Airships,
Aerostat Envelopes and Components
for over 35 Years
Since the 1970’s ILC Dover’s Lighter-Than-Air structures for commercial and military applications have
dominated the skies. Van Wagner Outdoor Advertising, Zeppelin, the U.S. Military and other commercial
clients use softgoods structures that we develop and manufacture—aerostats, airships, blimps,
balloons and other Lighter-Than-Air vehicles. ILC is the world’s largest producer of airship envelopes.
ILC’s key contributions to our LTA customers include:
•
Partnering to fully understand your needs and developing systems to achieve your requirements
•
Design, structural analysis and patterning
•
Advanced materials development including customizing textiles, films and laminates for your specific application
•
Detailed inspection and advanced testing of all materials
•
Envelope fabrication using advanced heat sealing, sewing and adhesive bonding
•
In-field services, testing and support
Envelope
Volume
Envelope
Length
Envelope Major
Diameter
(ft3)
(ft)
(ft)
A60+
68,000
125
33
A170
170,000
175
43
LZN07
300,000
234
46.5
56K
56,000
109.5
36.5
74K
74,000
119
39
275K
275,000
186
62.5
420K
420,000
208.5
69.5
Experience Counts
We’ve produced nearly 300
state of the art envelopes in a
vast array of configurations.
Each ship has miles of highly
reliable seams assembled
on-site at ILC.
Airships
Aerostats
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
As ISR systems are becoming increasingly vital to national security, ILC Dover has
developed aerostats specified for various ISR applications. ILC Dover has manufactured helium-filled aerostats to carry surveillance radars up to 15,000 feet altitude
while tethered to the ground by a single tether. ILC aerostats for ISR have helium
volumes from 56,000 to 595,000 cubic feet and range in length from 109 to 240
feet. In addition, our airships have been used by the military to evaluate numerous
surveillance payloads.
ILC Dover, which designed the initial Class IV aerostat for the U.S. Air Force, has
manufactured all operational Class IV aerostats, designed for volumes of 275,000 to
420,000 cubic feet. The Class IV aerostat is able to withstand hurricane-force winds
in excess of 90 MPH and is able to operate in winds exceeding 65 MPH.
Heavy Lift
ILC Dover has applied its Lighter-Than-Air technology to the development and
fabrication of heavy lift vehicles. We have developed durable laminates capable of providing very high tear strength while keeping structural mass to a minimum. By utilizing
the lift generated by a helium-filled LTA vehicle, heavy loads can be transported in
an economical manner, and operated in areas with little existing infrastructure.
ILC developed and produced the envelope structure for the Long Endurance
Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) which was designed to provide extended ISR
coverage by carrying higher mass payload sensors to high altitude for extended
periods. The LEMV is the world’s largest hybrid vehicle and is being evaluated as a
heavy lift vehicle at lower operational altitudes.
Advertising/Tourism
Flown in many countries, ILC’s airships are a high-profile advertising vehicle used
successfully by Van Wagner Outdoor Advertising and by Zeppelin, which has a new
partnership with Goodyear. The new LZN07 220-foot-long airship envelope fabricated for Zeppelin is designed to interface with a semi-rigid passenger airship structure. Tight tolerances are
maintained during production to assure the envelope interfaces properly with the rigid
superstructure. The airship received its certification in 2001 and has operated on three
continents. The new Goodyear ships will incorporate the ILC envelope structure.
ILC Dover designed a new generation of airships for Van Wagner Outdoor Advertising.
We developed and qualified a unique translucent multi-layer film laminate envelope for
internally illuminated airships, which have operated successfully on six continents.
High-Altitude Airships
ILC Dover has been involved in the design and development of high-altitude airships
since the early 1980s supporting development programs for the Navy and NASA. The
subsequent growth of the cellular phone market generated renewed interest in the use
of high-altitude airships as a means of providing economical coverage in developing
countries. ILC has supported Lockheed Martin in the development of HAA vehicles
including HALE-D (High Altitude Long Endurance Demonstrator). We are also supporting DARPA’s ISIS (Integrated Sensor is Structure) high altitude program.
For more information on Lighter-Than-Air Structures, please contact:
Gil Baird
302-335-3911 x293
bairdg@ilcdover.com
Dave Cadogan
302-335-3911 x213
cadogd@ilcdover.com
www.ilcdover.com
Why Trust ILC Dover’s LTA Structures?
The proof is in our history. Since 1947, ILC Dover has been active in the design and
development of technologically advanced products for both government and industry.
Our Engineered
Inflatables can
withstand extreme
environments and are
used worldwide for
border and military
protection.
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Our masks
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to protect against
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biological
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We have c
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Safe Pha
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Tou
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to SEAL OFF A SUBWAY
in the event of a
disaster or attack
SPECIALITIES Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
Lighter-Than-Air Structures • Engineered Inflatables
Space Suits • Pharmaceutical Powder Containment
MKT-0089 Rev A
wa
lk
We we
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We are developing
MASSIVE
INFLATABLES
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Our Products
Perform In The
MOST DEMANDING
ENVIRONMENTS
www.ilcdover.com
One Moonwalker Road • Frederica, Delaware • USA 19946-2080
email customer_service@ilcdover.com
phone 302.335.3911 or 800.631.9567 (US) • fax 302.335.1320