lighter-than-air vehicles - Defense Innovation Marketplace

Table 5: Altus Technical SpecificationsFigure 12: Underside of Altus During Flight 18Length: 35 ft. Flight Ceiling: 1,250 ft. AGL (up to 7,500ft. MSL ground elevation and 95º F)Diameter: 12 ft.Volume: 2,400 cu. ft. Crew: 4Max Payload: 7.1 lbs.Payload Type: EO/IR with LRF & pointer,Laser Designator optionalDuration: 2–4 hours (airship mode), 4 days(aerostat mode only & without top-off)Cruise Speed: 10 kts. (airship mode only)Max Speed: 25 kts. (airship mode only)operators, along with other networkedelements of the Combat Team, to have realtime“eyes” on the battlefield situation andmake real-time decisions regardingdetection, location and immediateprosecution of threats. The GS205 EO/IR/LD/LRF system gives the platform a dayand night capability for reconnaissance,surveillance, target acquisition and location,along with the capability to accurately bringlaser-guided weapons to bear on targets. 19Partnering with Ultra Electronics MSI, theAltus will have the ability to pass controlfrom a traditional command and controlsystem to a dismounted/off-base tactical,man-portable operator control unit (OCU).The self-contained, handheld OCU increasesmission persistence, protection and presencethrough a lightweight, low-power, integratedcomputing environment that includes solidstate storage and networking support. 19Altus was initiated in December 2011 byArmy Rapid Equipping Force (REF) toprovide an affordable, small-scale, mobileaerostat platform for ISR and force protectionsupport to small operational forcesdeployed in remote and austere FOBs orCommand Observation Posts (COPs) that16