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 The KingFisher™ Balloon is named after the kingfisher bird species, known to be the longest-duration hovering bird with exceptionally keen vision to spot its prey. A fitting name for an aerostat balloon designed to provide a stable platform in winds up to 50mph/75kph and give you unprecedented options for your payload and surveillance requirements.
Aerial Products developed the KingFisher™ through a collaboration with Embry Riddle Aeronautics University. The resulting design is from the combination of engineering and practical field experience.
As the exclusive manufacturer of numerous military and heavy lift aerostats, Aerial Products has a solid reputation of providing reliable, helium-powered platforms for mission-critical applications.
The KingFisher™ employs a weight distribution system which evenly disperses payload weight and tether line tension across the entire envelope. Further, the tether attachment method ensures proper flight right out of the box. Very few adjustments are required by the operator for proper flight.
There are two construction methods, one-ply with polyurethane at 4 mil thickness using a mil-spec material with UV inhibitor and hydrolysis inhibitors added to the polyurethane. The two-ply adds a layer of 1.9 oz. rip-stop nylon. Single-ply is typically used for commercial applications while the two-ply is used for high-frequency, high-load requirements typically required by the military or surveillance systems. One-ply construction is noted below with a "U" for urethane, 2-ply construction is noted with an "N" for Nylon. The comparison chart below shows the approximate dimensions, volumes, and net lifts of the more common KingFisher™ model sizes from 6 to 13 feet. The beauty of the KingFisher™ is its scalability. We have manufactured KingFisher™ models up to 27 feet in diameter! Please contact us,
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, for more information regarding KingFisher™ models above 13 feet so that we can match the aerostat size to your particular need and payload requirement.
| KINGFISHER™ COMPARISONS |
| Model # |
Approx. Dim. |
Approx. Vol. |
Approx. Net Lift |
Typical Uses |
| K6U |
6 ft. x 5.2 ft. |
105 ft.3 (3m3) |
2 lbs. (.9kg) |
Ultralight payloads |
| K7U |
6.8 ft. x 5.9 ft. |
160 ft.3 (4.5m3) |
4.5 lbs. (2kg) |
Small point & shoot camera systems |
| K7.5U |
7.7 ft. x 6.7 ft. |
230 ft.3 (6.5m3) |
7 lbs. (3.2kg) |
Mid-sized camera systems |
| K8U |
7.9 ft. x 6.9 ft. |
255 ft.3 (7.2m3) |
8 lbs. (3.6kg) |
Mid-sized and Large DSLR camera systems/tactical surveillance |
| K9U |
8.7 ft. x 7.6 ft. |
350 ft.3 (9.9m3) |
13 lbs. (5.9kg) |
Non-stabilized persistent surveillance systems |
| K10U |
9.7 ft. x 8.4 ft. |
475 ft.3 (13.5m3) |
19 lbs. (8.6kg) |
Stabilized persistent surveillance systems |
| K11U |
10.7 ft. x 9.3 ft. |
625 ft.3 (17.7m3) |
26 lbs. (11.8kg) |
Stablized uncooled thermal persistent surveillance systems |
| K11N |
11.2 ft. x 8.3 ft. |
550 ft.3 (15.6m3) |
18 lbs. (8.2kg) |
Stablized, uncooled thermal long-duration (days) systems |
| K13N |
13.2 ft. x 9.75 ft. |
940 ft.3 (26.6m3) |
34 lbs. (15.4kg) |
Stablized, cooled thermal surveillance systems |
| CALL OR EMAIL US FOR KINGFISHER™ SIZES UP TO 27 FEET |
Blimp compared to KingFisher™
The blimp system, which includes a back up ball, can fly in winds up to approximately 15 mph/24kph. The camera gimbal is mounted directly below the balloon. The blimp and ball do not require a winch to hold the tether line.
The KingFisher™, even a small version, can fly in winds up to 50 mph/80kph. In the smaller size necessary for the point and shoot cameras, a winch MAY not be required. However, in higher winds a winch is necessary to hold onto the tether as the balloon will pull in excess of 100 to 150 pounds.
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