China is developing a massive airship as part of its “Jin Diao” or “Golden Eagle” series of dirigibles, the state-owned People’s Daily newspaper revealed in a recent report.
A model of the airship was displayed at the Aviclub convention from Oct. 4-6 at Jingmen Zhanghe General Aviation Airport in central China's Hubei Province, the report said.
Weighing approximately 60 tons, the multipurpose airship is being developed by a special unit under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The craft will be kept afloat using helium and equipped with high-definition cameras and equipment for infrared imaging, gas detection, navigation and surveillance.
The new model is also rumored to have a state-of-the-art steering technology, advanced flight control systems that can monitor flight parameters, and an assortment of fail-safe functions.
With the ability to conduct vertical take-off and landing, remote control and autonomous flight capabilities, and automatic pressure management, the Golden Eagle airship is touted as being highly maneuverable, easy to set up and safe to fly, the People's Daily said in its report.
For surveillance applications, the airship can be fitted with high-performance infrared and HD cameras for day or night imaging, making it suitable for inspections, city monitoring and anti-terrorism patrols. The captured images can be uploaded to the Internet as soon as the data is transferred to equipment on the ground.
Golden Eagle-class airships have been used in a wide range of applications, including aerial photography, scientific experiments, environmental monitoring, resource exploration, emergency rescue, communications relay and traffic guidance.
In July, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls oversaw the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement between AVIC and French firm Flying Whales Holdings Co. Under the agreement, a joint venture will be established to develop a heavy-load airship with a focus on global transportation market.
According to the People's Daily, the airships are part of the Chinese government's 13th five-year plan for 2016-2020. The plan eyes the establishment of a domestic airship industry with three goals, namely, the development of a 60-ton airship, building manned airships for the China's tourism industry, and the consolidation and development a tethered balloon project for the "special purpose" market, the report said.