Inflatable drone

A Chinese manufacturer recently introduced an inflatable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), designed to conduct aerial surveys or reconnaissance.

A grey UAV was introduced at the Exhibition last month. Photo: China News.

The inflatable drone was unveiled at the Tianjin International UAV Exhibition last month. It is designed for low speed and low-altitude missions such as aerial survey, reconnaissance or remote sensing.

According to Popsci, the UAV is equipped with an electric motor. Its innovative design includes two separate horizontal flaps to enhance maneuverability. This part is usually attached to the trailing edge of each fixed wing of the aircraft.

UAVs run on lighter-than-air fuel, which can increase payload and range. Militarily, the small size of inflatable UAVs would allow soldiers to carry more vehicles. If the airframe were made of radar-absorbent fuel, it could provide low-observability and stealth features.

Lighter-than-air vehicles have been used in warfare to locate surveillance and communications equipment on base. Modifying these systems into an inflatable UAV would make storage and portability easier, while also reducing weight compared to conventional vehicles.

However, the new inflatable UAVs may be less maneuverable, take longer to inflate, and are slower than most other systems. Loss of power to the engines or communications equipment could cause the aircraft to free-fly.

According to VnExpress