An unmanned hybrid airship for delivering packages, featuring: a forward payload bay counterbalanced by a moveable counterweight; and a gripping mechanism for engaging unconventional mooring structures such as balcony rails and window sills. Other embodiments are described.

A hybrid airship-aerostat includes a hull, a motor, a fin, a controller, and a bridle system. The motor is coupled to the hull and is configured to rotate between a thrust configuration and a lift configuration. The motor is configured to generate a lift force, a thrust force, or a combination thereof. The fin is coupled to a tail of the hull and is configured to provide directional control of the hull. The controller is configured to operate the motor and the fin to pilot the hull. The bridle system is configured to removably couple to a first end of a tether.

An air vehicle comprises a payload vessel, a propulsion system, and a buoyancy lifting unit anchored on said payload vessel. The buoyancy lifting unit comprises a plurality of balloons and a plurality of buoyancy gas reservoirs arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns, a protractible rod, and a control system. Each of the balloons and buoyancy gas reservoirs is tethered to a lifting-joint on the protractible rod through a cable. The control system controls vertical move of the air vehicle to ascend through directing buoyancy gas flow from the buoyancy gas reservoirs into the balloons, and to descend through directing buoyancy gas flow from the balloons into the buoyancy gas reservoirs. The propulsion system controls horizontal move of the air vehicle to go forward and make turns.

A lighter-than-air semi-rigid airship has Configurable Buoyancy And Geometry (CBAG) allowing it to become short and plump for maximum buoyancy during takeoff and landing, but also allowing it to become long and slim for reduced drag (albeit less buoyancy) so that it may travel at high speed. It may be combined with a heavier-than-air structure having wings or rotors to form a hybrid aircraft whereby the wings or rotors provide enough lift to compensate for the reduced buoyancy during high-speed flight.

Unmanned and remotely controlled airship constituted from system of multirotor combined with inflatable envelope. The airship may be lifted/powered by a power system comprising three or more rotors. In some embodiments, the airship may be constructed using rods, connectors, the main system/control box and the rotors. The airship system may have a systemic symmetry for weight distribution and flight control and may be, for example, a symmetric ellipsoid envelope/blimp.

An airborne platform vehicle comprising an aircraft with a platform affixed to the top side providing for a multipurpose airborne platform is disclosed. The airborne platform vehicle comprising a platform affixed to the top side of an aircraft or airship providing accessibility to the platform from either inside or outside the aircraft. The aircraft itself being able to float or fly by virtue of the lighter than air gas inside the body of the aircraft or with assisted lift from wings, being propelled by a ducted fan, propeller drive system, or otherwise and having a power source from which to power the drive system. The airborne platform vehicle being capable of movement and remaining upright through the use of ballast, propellers, ducted fans, vector thrusters, wings, fins, and/or rudders. The airborne platform vehicle itself being able to take-off and land as well as stay afloat for long durations in a stationary or non-stationary position.

A system includes one or more antennas; and a processor coupled to the antennas in communication with a predetermined target using 5G protocols.

An unmanned and remotely controlled airship has a multirotor system combined with an inflatable envelope. The airship may be lifted/powered by a power system that has three or more rotors. The airship may be constructed using rods, connectors, the main system/control box and the rotors. The airship system may have a systemic symmetry for weight distribution and flight control and may be, for example, a symmetric ellipsoid envelope/blimp.

A hybrid VTOL vehicle having an envelope configured to provide hydrostatic buoyancy, a fuselage attached to the envelope and having at least one pair of wings extending from opposing sides thereof to produce dynamic lift through movement, and a thrust generation device on each wing and configured to rotate with each wing about an axis that is lateral to a longitudinal axis of the envelope to provide vertical takeoff or landing capabilities. Ideally, the envelope provides negative hydrostatic lift to enhance low-speed and on-the-ground stability. A vehicle comprising a first lift device capable of providing hydrostatic lift; a second lift device capable of providing dynamic lift through movement; and a system structured to generate thrust coupled to the second lift device, the second lift device and the thrust generation system capable of rotating together about an axis that is lateral to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle at angles at least in the range of 90 degrees to and including 180 degrees.

A system comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having wing elements and tail elements configured to roll to angularly orient the UAV by rolling so as to align a longitudinal plane of the UAV, in its late terminal phase, with a target. A method of UAV body re-orientation comprising: (a) determining by a processor a boresight angle error correction value bases on distance between a target point and a boresight point of a body-fixed frame; and (b) effecting a UAV maneuver comprising an angular role rate component translating the target point to a reoriented target point in the body-fixed frame, to maintain the offset angle via the offset angle correction value.