Look, up in the sky! Is it a bird or a plane or even Superman? No, it will probably be an unmanned airship that is silently spying on your every moment with a surveillance camera on a 24/7 basis.
An article in The Daily Mail recently reported on this latest airborne menace from the U.K. Called Eon, the completely automated airship is supposedly designed to support police operations and rescue efforts in any location.
In this role, it will carry numerous high-resolution cameras to spy on people on the ground.
Eon is the brainchild of U.K.-based company Avalon Airships. Around the size of a double-decker bus, it will be a very clean vehicle that does not emit any air pollutants throughout its entire flight.
Furthermore, the fully autonomous craft will be able to touch down on water, float as if it is a boat, and launch from water. This amphibious landing capability opens up more locations that are normally too hard to reach by conventional aircraft.
Avalon Airships is hawking their new lighter-than-air ship as the perfect flying vehicle for all kinds of roles. They claim Eon can serve as a flying ambulance, a long-endurance "eye in the sky" for police and rescue work, and a commercial aircraft. (Related: IBM uses NYPD camera footage to search for people by hair color, facial hair, and skin tone all WITHOUT consent or a warrant.)
Unmanned airship will carry its very down aerial drone
Eon will not be operating alone. The airship will carry a much smaller aerial drone that can be loaded with important cargo. When Eon cannot land in the area due to space or terrain constraints, the quadcopter drone will detach from its mothership and fly down to deliver its goods.
In the aerial ambulance or search-and-rescue roles, the drone will be fitted with important medical supplies. The contents can include a defibrillator, a compact heater, and food.
Other payloads will depend on the situation. It could be fitted as an entertainment vehicle that provides a bird's eye view of an event.
The only thing stopping Eon from taking to the skies is its current state as a concept design. Avalon Airships has not yet indicated any schedule for the construction of a prototype airship.
That has not stopped the company from lauding the merits of their product. The official website describes it as a sleek aerial vehicle fitted with electric motors that deliver plenty of torque. It supposedly travels faster and more efficiently than road-bound and rail-bound traffic.
"The silent hybrid airship design allows this aircraft to stay in the air for extended periods of time while having a flexible payload capability," the website said. "Water-only landings give this vehicle a huge amount of possible landing sites."
Spy blimp is only good for water landings and take-offs
Helium gas will provide the lifting capability for the Eon airship. When combined with its electric motors, the vehicle is expected to cruise for up to 300 miles (40 km) nonstop without issuing the telltale noise of an aircraft.
Power will be provided by solar panels and wind generators. The airship will also feature enough energy storage systems to accumulate excess power and extend its operational time.
Although it can handle water landings and take-offs, it is not fitted with any landing gear. It may be difficult to find a safe parking space for it in cities and other urbanized region.
Avalon Airships suggests that old shipping canals be reactivated as parking lots for Eon and similar airships. The craft would be most vulnerable on the water.
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