A lighter than air craft having an airframe that has at least one tank in the airframe for holding compressed or liquid hydrogen or helium and at least one compartment in the airframe holding an inflatable bladder. The inflatable bladder can be inflated with hydrogen or helium gas from the first tank. There is a vent in the compartment allowing air to exit the compartment when the bladder is inflated and allowing air to enter the compartment when the bladder is deflated. Inflating and deflating the bladder partially controls buoyancy of the craft. Inflating bladders in compartments fore and aft controls pitch and trim.

The present disclosure describes various systems, devices, and methods configured to retrieve a fixed-wing aircraft from free flight using a flexible capture member

The present disclosure provides various embodiments of a multicopter-assisted launch and retrieval system generally including: (1) a multi-rotor modular multicopter attachable to (and detachable from) a fixed-wing aircraft to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; (2) a storage and launch system usable to store the modular multicopter and to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; and (3) an anchor system usable (along with the multicopter and a flexible capture member) to retrieve the fixed-wing aircraft from wing-borne flight.

Aerial launch and/or recovery for unmanned aircraft, and associated systems and methods. A representative system includes a first, carrier aircraft having an airframe a propulsion system carried by the airframe and positioned to support the carrier aircraft in hover, and a capture line carried by the carrier aircraft and deployable to hang from the carrier aircraft. The capture line is sized to releasably engage with a capture device of a second, carried aircraft. The system further includes a retrieval device positioned to support the carried aircraft for detachment from the capture line.

The present disclosure provides various embodiments of a multicopter-assisted launch and retrieval system generally including: (1) a multi-rotor modular multicopter attachable to (and detachable from) a fixed-wing aircraft to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; (2) a storage and launch system usable to store the modular multicopter and to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; and (3) an anchor system usable (along with the multicopter and a flexible capture member) to retrieve the fixed-wing aircraft from wing-borne flight.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a helicopter-mediated system and method for launching and retrieving an aircraft capable of long-distance efficient cruising flight from a small space without the use of a long runway.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a rotorcraft-assisted system and method for launching and retrieving a fixed-wing aircraft into and from free flight. The launch and retrieval system includes a modular multicopter, a storage and launch system, an anchor system, a flexible capture member, and an aircraft-landing structure. The multicopter is attachable to the fixed-wing aircraft to facilitate launching the fixed-wing aircraft into free, wing-borne flight. The storage and launch system is usable to store the multicopter (when disassembled) and to act as a launch mount for the fixed-wing aircraft by retaining the fixed-wing aircraft in a desired launch orientation. The anchor system is usable with the multicopter, the flexible capture member, and the aircraft-landing structure to retrieve the fixed-wing aircraft from free, wing-borne flight.

A generally vertical rocket (2) flies generally horizontally into recovery line, cable or chain (3) suspended between towers (5, 7) of a catamaran landing ship (9). High speed winches (11, 13), preferably located near or at the tops of the towers (5, 7) can rapidly reel in or out the recovery line (3) to effectively raise or lower the recovery line (3). The fixture engages a capture device on the rocket located usually above the rocket center of gravity. This invention provides a more reliable means of landing a rocket and also eliminates rocket weight, cost and complexity associated with previous means of landing a rocket.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) recovery is disclosed. An example apparatus to recover an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a support rail to support a cable. The apparatus also includes a pivot arm to rotate about a pivot, where the cable is suspended between the support rail and the pivot arm, and where the pivot arm is rotated to a first orientation when the UAV contacts the cable and rotated to a second orientation when the UAV is brought to a stop. The apparatus also includes at least one of a friction device or a damper operatively coupled to the cable to resist motion of the cable during rotation of the pivot arm from the first orientation to the second orientation.

The present disclosure provides various embodiments of a multicopter-assisted launch and retrieval system generally including: (1) a multi-rotor modular multicopter attachable to (and detachable from) a fixed-wing aircraft to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; (2) a storage and launch system usable to store the modular multicopter and to facilitate launch of the fixed-wing aircraft into wing-borne flight; and (3) an anchor system usable (along with the multicopter and a flexible capture member) to retrieve the fixed-wing aircraft from wing-borne flight.