It is possible that Lithuanian airspace will soon be monitored by airships – a solution that will allow finding and intercepting meteorological probes launched from Belarus, which are used by criminals to smuggle cigarettes, and Minsk – to carry out hybrid attacks.
The consortium Dobis submitted an idea for the competition to combat smuggler balloons. Investor Dominykas Milašius told LRT Radio that the choice of name was not accidental – the consortium is named after the house elf in the popular Harry Potter book series. Milašius explained that he wants (just like the elf Dobby) Vilnius Airport to become free and no longer be plagued by problems.
Smugglers’ balloons are filled with a gas that is lighter than air and can rise very high, and Milašius said the inventors decided to fight fire with fire. Light balloons and other flying objects carried by the same wind can reach the same height and speed as the probes used by the smugglers. “Our task is to lift an airship of sufficient size to the same altitude as the smuggling balloon and attach a payload capable of doing something with it – whether that means observing it and tracking its trajectory, attaching something to it, or bringing it down,” the investor said.
The system could have a variety of functions. The first would be a tethered airship that would conduct surveillance and provide communications.
It could be stationed near the border or other important sites and kept aloft for a long time at relatively low cost.
The second function is a balloon filled with light gas, capable of reaching an altitude of five or more kilometers, and transporting cargo, such as surveillance equipment, drones and other equipment. This type of “base ship” can operate cheaply and efficiently, reaching the required altitude without wasting energy. It is also possible to add more complex equipment to the balloon, but Dobis has not yet started to do this.
Initially, the Dobis team considered the possibility of using drones to intercept smuggler balloons, but concluded that this would entail high costs. The idea for the airship arose after studying foreign experience, paying particular attention to what has been done in South Korea and the United States. One of the biggest challenges has been adapting the system to Lithuanian weather conditions. For example, airships are difficult to control in winter, during snowfall.
The equipment must function reliably in storms, frost, strong winds and at the altitude at which smuggler balloons move,
and this creates serious requirements for the development of technology.
To maneuver, the Dobis airships use rotors. Milašius said that the main task is to lift the airship to the same height as the target balloons, and this is done at no cost, all by a lighter-than-air gas. What happens next depends on the user’s instructions. Several Lithuanian institutions have already shown interest in the Dobis idea.
Although the concept created by Dobis arose as a response to national security challenges, the creators have also begun to see its commercial potential. Milašius said: “We started by trying to solve a Lithuanian problem, and along the way we realised that airships – zeppelins – are experiencing something of a renaissance. It turns out there are many companies in the United States considering a return to cargo transport: not passenger flight, but aerial tankers that could cross the Pacific and bring large volumes of goods from Asia.”
Read the full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2863047/floating-zeppelins-a-new-system-to-guard-the-lithuanian-airspace
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