1. The document discusses lighter-than-air unmanned aerial systems (LtA UAS) and their potential applications in Latin America. It summarizes ongoing LtA UAS projects in Mexico and Ecuador for uses such as power line monitoring, agriculture monitoring, and telecommunications. 2. Key challenges discussed include the need for more funding and cooperation between Latin American aerospace industries and companies working in defense and government markets. There is also a need for more university projects to demonstrate feasibility and develop prototypes. 3. The document concludes that LtA UAS have advantages over other platforms for applications like persistent surveillance, infrastructure inspection, and environmental monitoring due to their ability to hover, land in small areas, and have low

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1st INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION
FOR THE LATIN AMERICAN UAS COMMUNITY
UAS Latin America 2011 Parque Tecnológico,
Sao Paulo, Brazil – 25-27 October 2011
Lighter-than-air UAS Technology for civilian and military
applications in Latin America
Adrian Peña Cervantes, Victor X. Enriquez Champutiz
UAS Researcher UAS Researcher
Mexico City, Mexico. Latacunga, Ecuador.
avionicaytelemetria@gmail.com vxenriquez@cidfae.gob.ec
Abstract
Lighter-than-air (LTA) Unmanned Aerial Systems have become an
important part of airship market worldwide. In recent years,
developments by military and civilian organizations in Europe,
USA and ASIA have lead investigators and researchers in Latin
America to propose the use of LTA equipment in diverse
applications by government and military sectors, proposing a new
alternative in the communications and surveillance/reconnaissance
market. This paper takes a survey on the actual LTA-UAS market
worldwide and offers a status report for the on-going LTA-UAS
programs in Latin America. It also provides a report of the author’s
experiences in recent activities to research and develop LTA-UAS
equipment for diverse applications in the Latin American region.

2. Adrian Peña Cervantes UAS Latin America 2011
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INTRODUCTION
Latin American aircraft researchers have
been involved since long time ago in
Lighter-than-Air (LtA) vehicles design and
operation. One of the most important
examples of LtA development in the region
is the Brazilian sportsman, inventor and
millionaire Alberto Santos Dumont that one
hundred and ten years ago, back in 1901,
among very other interesting activities, flew
his airship number 6 in Paris and won the
Deutsch de la Meurthe prize of 100,000
francs for flying from the Parc Saint Cloud
to the Eiffel Tower and back in a record
time of less than thirty minutes, fig 1. [1]
Fig.1: Brazilian inventor Santos-Dumont’s airship
number 6 rounding the Eiffel Tower in 1901. Photo
courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution (SI Neg.
No. 85-3941
In Mexico, back in 1973 the company
Sapacial of Mexico flew a man-carrying
saucer airship, a lenticular craft 24mts in
diameter with a gas volume of 2505m3 and
matriculated MLA-24-A. Later, after years
of experimentation and research in June
1989 there was a last version matriculated
MLA-32-B with a lenticular configuration
of LtA vehicle that was operated by its
designer and moving spirit of the entire
enterprise Mr. Mario Sanchez Roldan.
Sadly, because of the tragic death of this
Mexican LtA researcher, there were no more
R&D projects in Mexico with LtA vehicles
that could bring further knowledge until
recent years [1] Fig 2.
Anyway, since many decades ago, lighter
than air technology has been present in
diverse activities in the civilian, military and
experimental aviation sectors along Latin
America countries. Most of his applications
have been so far in the commercial world for
advertising and resource monitoring
purposes, but in the past decade, the quantity
of R&D projects for LtA implementation to
the UAS sector has increased substantially.
Mainly, recent advances in the world in
ultra-lightweight fabrics, composites, thin-
film solar cells and unmanned control
techniques have made possible to conduct
R&D programs for the evaluation of these
vehicles in diverse applications for the
industry, civilian purposes and for military
activities.
Because of renewed interest in Airship
technology in Latin America, this paper
outlines the research experiences of authors
in Mexico and Ecuador in the development
of LTA-UAS equipment through the past
decade and a brief summary of the
applications foreseen for the next years. We
must state that because the LtA UAS
projects performed by authors in the
civilian, industry and military fields are of
cost‐shared public‐private R&D programs
and other government R&D assistance; this
document provides a summary of
experiences and research output concepts
that no contain classified information.
Fig.2: Sketch of lenticular airship manufactured in
Mexico in 1989 by Manuel Sanchez Roldan.

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By the Mexican part, the projects with LtA
UAS prototypes have been appointed to
attend the power utility industry and the
AFOLU (Agriculture, forestry and Other
Land Use) projects regarding environment
and climate change programs. The R&D
experience of the author goes way back to
mid 2005 when was enrolled on feasibility
studies for the use of LtA technology and
the visit to foreign LtA projects in South
Korea, Japan and United Kingdom. During 7
years he has conducted tests on locally
developed small RPV airships and small
fixed wing prototypes as well UAS
platforms in Spain and Canada. Figures 3, 4
and 5.
Fig.3: Aerostatic balance in a small unmanned
airship.
Fig.4: Fabrics and envelope inflation for small
unmanned airships.
Fig.5: Preparing a small unmanned airship for
monitoring tests.
By the Ecuadorian part of this researchers
group the activities have been appointed
during three previous years to the research
and development of GN & C (Guidance,
Navigation and Control) theories on small
unmanned airships. The applications
foreseen in this group are for civilian
applications in the telecommunications and
population support in diverse applications.
The most important success in the R&D in
UAS in Ecuador has been the linkage with
academic groups, Universities and
government to create roadmaps for the
development of key UAS technologies not
only in LtA platforms but many others that
seem to be relevant for the future of national
technology development. Figures 6, 7 and
8.
Fig.6: Inside a small unmanned airship envelope.
Fig.7: Preparing the LtA UAS platform for flight
tests.
Fig.8: Outer envelope inside hangar facilities.

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Authors have participated in diverse UAV
and Airship forums in different countries
during the last years and also have worked
in joint prototype tests and technology
evaluation for LtA UAS platforms. Back in
2009 conducted joint evaluation sessions for
small unmanned airships obtaining relevant
results for the development of new and
upgraded platforms.
Most of the relevant information and
assessment in airship technology for our
research group has come from the
International Airship Association. Through
the invitation to participate in Conferences
in Germany and United Kingdom The
networking with professionals around the
world from Europe to Australia, Canada and
USA, have represented advancing ideas and
theories for the design and feasibility studies
of our R&D efforts. [2]
PAST AND ON-GOING LtA UAS
PROJECTS IN THE WORLD.
The following list gives an overview of
some of the most interesting projects
regarding the development and assembly of
LtA Unmanned Aerial Systems in the world
that have inspired our group to develop and
research these aerial platforms:
Brazilian Airship project AURORA -
Autonomous Unmanned Remote
Monitoring Robotic Airship-
Created in 1997 by CenPRA for the
development of intelligent semi-autonomous
aerial robotic systems, this project has
represented one of the most important
efforts among Latin American researchers
for the creation on LtA UAS projects. Its
scientific and research group has created
interesting output data for the enormous
untapped potential that LtA UAS platforms
offer for applications in low-speed, low-
altitude exploration, surveillance, and
monitoring, as well as telecommunication
relay platforms. [3]
Korea Aerospace Research Institute
(KARI), Multi-Purpose Stratospheric
Airship.
Back in 2000 the Ministry of Commerce,
Industry and Energy (MOCIE) of South
Korea decided to develop a Stratospheric
Platform as an important national
development project. Korea has been
developing the Multi-Purpose Stratospheric
Airship for a while producing interesting
control flight, telecommunications and
energy management theories for LtA
platforms. Due to the great technology
potential implied in this project, in 2005 The
Mexican part of our research group visited
KARI to get an understanding of the plan
roadmap as well cutting edge technology
involved in the LtA platform research and
development [4]. Figures 9 and 10
Fig. 9: Presentation of Multi-Purpose Stratospheric
Airship concept.
Fig. 10: Ground Control Station for KARI’s
unmanned airship.

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Long Endurance Multi-INT Vehicle
(LEMV)
Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd from England was
the designer and inventor of the first large
hybrid aircraft under construction nowadays
for the project Long Endurance Multi-
Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) represented by
Northrop Grumman who have succeeded in
winning a $517 million contract to produce
up to three LEMV systems on behalf of the
US military. Its main objective is to provide
U.S. troops with persistent ISR capability to
increase awareness of the ever changing
battlefield in Afghanistan and future conflict
areas. [5] Fig. 11.
This is the most successful demonstration of
LtA UAS platforms viability for military
applications so far. It demonstrates that
investing in LtA R&D will be productive in
the future for Latin American research
groups.
Fig. 11: LEMV created by Hybrid Air Vehicles
Ltd.Photo taken from the International Airship
association website
Integrated Sensor is Structure (ISIS) high
altitude unmanned airship
Created by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon
the huge Integrated Sensor is Structure, or
ISIS, high altitude unmanned airship is
planned to fly for the first time in 2013. It
will be 500 feet long and 150 feet in
diameter. The radar in an operational ISIS
would be larger still, 10 times as big, about
6,000 square meters. It is expected by the
manufacturers that will remain in the
stratosphere for perhaps a decade.
This project seems to represent the most
advanced technological option for broad-
area-surveillance persistent airships. It
enhances current C2ISR air assets for
military border control and drugs law
enforcement through its wide-area foliage
penetration radar. [6]
Latin American borders could benefit from
the R&D in these platforms for the near
future war against drugs Fig. 12.
Fig. 12: Radar concept at ISIS airship, Lockheed
Martin. © Lockheed Martin
R&D WORKS ON SMALL
UNMANNED AIRSHIPS AS UAS
PLATFORMS.
After concluding the first research phases of
our projects we have specifically developed
theories and subsystems for the construction
of the next systems that seem to be of great
relevance in the construction of small
unmanned airships as UAS platforms in the
near future:

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Autonomous GN & C (Guidance,
Navigation and Control design
The control and flight dynamics of a LtA
platforms are nonlinear and complex, thus
posing a challenging problem for developing
autonomous control systems for such
devices. During 5 years we have worked on
the GN & C (Guidance, Navigation and
Control) system that provides an autopilot
capability to the small unmanned airships,
so that its flight path meets the high-level
objectives commanded by the diverse
applications enlisted in this paper.
Solar Power
In the LtA platforms like the small
unmanned airships, there is enough space
for solar power system and photovoltaic cell
arrays to be installed in the upper external
surface of their envelope; this is a quality
that other UAS do not have on their
structures.
Our groups have worked toward the
implementation and encapsulation of
photovoltaic materials and their integration
into the envelope of some prototypes. First
research outputs found viable application
solutions, one of them would be the
thermoplastic or thermosetting polymeric
materials applied under different
manufacturing processes as thermoforming,
resin infusion and bonding.
Our cell arrays development program
considers in a step-by-step procedure the
study results provided by structure and stress
analyst engineers in the research group for
the selection of photovoltaic cells
mechanical properties as following:
• Stiffness / flexibility and resistance.
• Low weight.
• General operating conditions as
temperature, pressure, cycles of
work, mode of operation,
environmental conditions, etc.
• Permeability / leakage materials.
• Service Lifetime.
• Maximum costs (cost/benefit).
APPLICATIONS
After almost 7 years of experience in the
R&D of LtA UAS we can affirm that the
next applications and markets are the most
viable for the use and manufacturing of LtA
UAS platforms in Latin America:
Telecommunications Markets:
• Communications Relay.
• Internet and Broad band
Communications repeater.
• Cellular phone infrastructure.
Law Enforcement Market:
• C4 ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance
and Reconnaissance) activities in
Urban Areas.
• Drug Enforcement
• Police Command & Control
• Electronic eavesdropping.
Military and Defense Market:
• Early warning border detection.
• Immigration Service Border Patrol
• Persistent Surveillance platforms.
• Disaster assistance.
• Disaster assessment.
• Surveillance / Search & Rescue
• And the most technologically
toughest to produce in the next
decades: High altitude platforms.
Industry Market:
• Monitoring and maintenance of
High Power Electric lines.
• Oil and Gas pipe line monitoring
and surveillance.
• Mining and petroleum industry
operations.
Environment and Climate Change
Market:
• AFOLU (Agriculture, forestry and
Other Land Use) projects.
• Geophysics and atmospheric
scientific research.
• Inspection of man-made structures
and archaeological site prospection.

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CONCLUSIONS
After years of research in LtA UAS
prototype tests in Mexico and Ecuador we
can provide the next conclusions for the
operation and the future of airship
technology in the UAS sector:
LtA UAS advantages.
• As researchers in the RPV, UAV
and UAS field we have found
interesting flying characteristics in
the LtA UAS, like buoyancy
control, perpendicular up-and-down
motion, hovering, and the ability to
land in a small clearing as benefits
for an aerial platform in a disaster or
monitoring situation not able to be
performed by an small fixed wing
UAS.
• Maybe hovering and station keeping
are the most significant advantages
of LtA UAS, providing the means to
conduct persistent area surveillance.
• For the industry of power utility, oil
and gas pipe line inspections and the
monitoring of large and long right of
way corridors, where detailed
inspection is a key factor the LtA
UAS are valuable technological
solutions.
• There is an increasing market
demand especially from military and
governmental authorities.
• The LtA UAS provide real
advantages in terms of modularity,
silence, substantial autonomy and
high degree of controllability during
normal and scheduled day and night
hours.
• Low cost and flexibility are driving
factors.
• The LtA UAS could reduce human
life exposure in long, dull, intrusive
and dangerous air missions for
diverse applications in industry and
military sectors.
• For environmental reasons, they
provide potential economic savings
and the benefits of less fuel
consumption, less greenhouse gas
emission, and less disruptive noise
than for manned aircraft.
• The LtA UAS will bridge the gap
between what can be measured by
satellites and what is measured at
static ground-based, research
stations. They are easy to transport,
relatively simple to deploy in forest
or remote geographic areas as well
as easy to launch and recover by on-
field operators.
Challenges
• Nowadays, when researchers speak
about airships, the most common
platforms employed by LtA UAS
projects to no initiated people, they
usually think about zeppelins in fire
and the danger of employing lighter
than air technology. This is almost
the only thing left in people's mind.
The future of LtA UAS technology
needs that lost culture to be
excavated and understood.
Nowadays, all these platforms
employ helium into their envelopes,
a safe and innocuous gas for
conducting lifting in the LtA
platforms operations.
• Existing LTA industry in Latin
America is from the capacity point
of view and financially too small for
larger projects. Co-operation with
aerospace industry and companies
dealing with Military and
governmental market seem to be
necessary. The realization of new
R&D programs is highly dependent
on financial investors
• There is a need for an increasing
number of university projects (low
complexity) for feasibility studies
and demonstration prototypes.

8. Adrian Peña Cervantes UAS Latin America 2011
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• Building the machine is only a part
of the process to bring the LtA UAS
to a large scale industrial life. It will
be necessary to deal with legal and
regulatory implications among civil
air authorities. UAV/UAS
regulations are a very unclear
subject, but the on-going R&D
programs mean an opportunity to
open discussions about the way to
introduce new standardizations for
lighter-than-air unmanned aerial
vehicles in the region.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• The authors express their deepest
gratitude to the National Council for
Science and Technology
(CONACYT) of Mexico [7] and the
Research and Development Center
of the Ecuadorian Air force
(CIDFAE) for its funding and
technical support to airships and
unmanned vehicles research
programs in previous years. Without
the government policies to support
science, technology and innovation,
this research project could not be
possible.
• We express sincere appreciation for
the intense and dedicated work
performed by funders, members and
collaborators of the International
Airship Association to promote the
airship technology. Their advice and
enthusiasm are invaluable for Latin
American airship researchers. [2]
• We express gratitude to the
Monterrey Institute of Technology
and Higher Education, CEM
through its Research Division and
Project coordination department for
its valuable advice in our UAS R&D
activities.
REFERENCES
[1]Edwin Mowforth, “An introduction to
the airship”, Third edition. The Airship
Association Ltd., September 2007.
[2] The International Airship Association.
http://www.airship-association.org
[3] Project AURORA: Development of an
Autonomous Unmanned Remote
Monitoring Robotic Airship Alberto
Elfes, Samuel S. Bueno, Marcel
Bergerman and Josué Jr. G. Ramos
Robotics and Computer Vision
Laboratory, Automation Institute,
Informatics Technology Center Caixa
Postal 6162 -Campinas, SP Brazil
13083-970 email: elfes@ia.cti.br Sérgio
Bittencourt Varella Gomes LTA Brasil
Ltda. Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil
[4] “Development of an unmanned airship
system” Proceedings of the 4th
International Airship Convention and
Exhibition 2002. Dong-Min Kim, Chan
Hong Yeom and Cheol-Ho Lim Aircraft
Division in Korea Aerospace Research
Institute, South Korea P.O.Box 113,
YooSung Taejon, 305-600 KOREA
[5] Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd 2 Medway
Court University WayCranfield
Technology Way Cranfield
Bedfordshire MK43 0FQ.
www.hybridairvehicles.com
[6] “Unmanned Airships” Ron Browning,
Lockheed Martin Corporation,
proceedings of the AUVSI’s Unmanned
Systems North America 2010
[7] The National Council for Science and
Technology of Mexico (CONACyT)
URL: http://www.conacyt.gob.mx/