Aerostar has over 50 years of experience designing and manufacturing tethered helium aerostats for military, homeland
security and scientific use.
We manufacture stable flying aerostats
which are easy to use, reliable and durable.

All of our aerostats can be flown over
land or over the sea, based on operational
needs of the end user.

 Examples of payloads which are flown:
• audio and imagery surveillance
• communication relay
• reconnaissance
• intelligence gathering
• aerial targets
• atmospheric sampling
• search and rescue equipment
• aerial video relay applications

TIF-25K^TM flying at approximately 150'

TIF-25K^TM moored on the docking station

We offer several standard lines of aerostats, ranging in size from 4.8m (16’) to 40m (130’) in length.  Our larger aerostats are offered as turn-key systems, including the aerostat envelope, mooring trailer, winch system, powered tether with fiber optics and on-board power system.

If you require more power, higher flying altitudes or different payload weights, customization is our forte and we can offer you a solution. When we know your requirements, we can quote the customization of a standard size blimp or quote a complete custom design. 

Two different body styles of tethered blimps are
available, the Tethered Inflated Fin (TIF) and the
Tethered Rigid Fin (TRF).  Either style of blimp can be equipped to carry your payload.

All of the large turn-key aerostat systems are the inflated fin design.  The TIF blimps are easiest to deploy as the fins inflate at the same time as the body of the blimp.

Information regarding our turn-key large aerostat systems can be found in the Large Aerostat Specifications pages: TIF-12K^TM, TIF-25K^TM, TIF-50K^TM, TIF-75K^TM, TIF-120K^TM.

If our standard sizes and specifications don’t suit your project requirements, we are a custom manufacturer and will quote the specific size of blimp which will suit your needs.  Our most requested customization is to add a dilation panel or a ballonet for longer flight times.

TIF-6000 ready for flight 
 

TIF-3895-D tethered with a sea
anchor in the Indian Ocean
 

Our basic sizing information for the aerostats
smaller than 15m (50’) can be found on the 
Aerostat Sizing Chart.

The TRF blimps are a patented design and have very
stable flight profiles.  The two step inflation and
deployment requires a little more time than the TIF
design.  The body of the blimp is filled with helium and
then the rigid fins are attached to the tail section. 

The Indian Ocean is being studied utilizing a custom
sized TRF blimp.  Scientists from CNES are assessing
the interaction of the atmosphere and ocean, to read
more about the project, visit CNES’s website. 

During last years campaign two of the blimps were
carried along with a cyclone during January and
February of 2007 (see flight path image below).

Aerostar also manufactures non-tethered or free flying aerostats and blimps.  For over 10 years our Remote Controlled (R/C) Blimp line has been used to generate excitement at sporting events.  Mostly used indoors,
there are outdoor models which can fly
in winds of 15mph or less. 

These blimps have military and
Department of Homeland Security applications for communication, intelligence gathering,
surveillance, and reconnaissance (CISR).

Our Aerospace Product line also includes a free flying, station keeping airship called HiSentinel^TM.  More information can be found at Station Keeping Applications. 

Aeroblimp 30 in flight over Singapore
 

TRF-2500-D Ready For Flight