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ข่าวจากหนังสือพิมพ Bangkok Post รายงานอ้างแหล่งข่าวว่าเรือเหาะของกองทัพบกนั้นไม่สามารถบินได้มาช่วงหนึ่งแล้ว โดยพบรอยรั่วทั่วทั้งลำซึ่งทำให้ก๊าซฮีเลียมในเรือเหาะรั่วกว่า 30% และกองทัพบกต้องจ่ายเงินสูงถึง 8 ล้านบาทเป็นค่าเติมฮีเลียมมาตลอดช่วงหลัง และน่าจะทำให้กองทัพบกต้องเสียถ้าใช้จ่ายเป็นจำนวนมากเมื่อรับมอบเรือเหาะและกล้องบนเฮลิคอปเตอร์เข้ามาใช้งาน ซึ่งเจ้ากรมส่งกำลังบำรุงทหารบกปฏิเสธรายงานที่ว่าการเติมฮีเลียมให้กับเรือเหาะนั้นต้องใช้เงินกว่า 1 แสนบาท โดยกล่าวว่าการเติบฮีเลียมนั้นใช้เงินเพียง 5 พัน - 3 หมื่นบาทเท่านั้น
MILITARY
Army tackles the high cost of deflation
* Published: 29/06/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News
The army's 350 million baht airship has been deflated due to serious leaks just one month after its delivery.
The problems are worrying the inspection panel which approved the delivery of the aircraft.
Three colonels who sat on the panel that approved the delivery of the airship on May 27 are worried the US-made Aeros 40D aircraft will not be able to take to the air again, an army source said.
"It's been left deflated in a hangar at the Bo Thong airstrip in Pattani's Nong Chik district for some time," said the source, adding that several ruptures had appeared along the stitching on the airship's body.
A military team responsible for taking care of the airship has tried to repair the leaks by using heat to glue the first and second layers of tarpaulin to prevent further damage, the source said.
However, that is considered only a temporary solution as ruptures have been found all over the airship, the source said.
The craft has lost 30% of its helium - but this "was of little concern" as officials are focused more on testing three cameras mounted to helicopters which will conduct joint operations with the airship, the source said.
The use of the three cameras has not been approved by the inspection panel pending further tests to see if they work properly.
The three helicopters with cameras will supposedly work with the airship in patrolling the violence-plagued South.
At least 8million baht in military funds has been spent on refilling the airship with helium, the army source said.
"The full responsibility and all the maintenance burden will fall on the army after the airship inspection panel approves of the airship and the camera system," the source said.
Col Wiwat Suchart, deputy head of the army's Directorate of Logistics, has defended claims about the high cost of maintaining the airship, saying the helium refill will cost between 5,000 and 30,000 baht a time - not up to 100,000 baht as has been reported in the media.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/183943/army-tackles-the-high-cost-of-deflation
รายละเอียดของอุึปกรณ์ของระบบเรือเหาะของกองทัพบก สำหรับเป็นข้อมูลอ้างอิง
The system’s components include:
Aeros A-40D Sky Dragon Airship. FAA-certified, manufactured by Worldwide Aeros Corporation. The base sensor platform. At altitude, the A-40D Sky Dragon also has the advantage of being impossible to hear, thus keeping monitoring activity more covert than many smaller UAVs, or helicopters.
An Airship Hangar and Living Quarters. The living quarters were built for Aria and project personnel on a base in the South of Thailand, to avoid imposing on the Thai Army as it built up forces in the south.
A Grizzly Armored Vehicle. Configured as a Mobile Command Vehicle, capable of receiving all the information and also guiding operations on the ground in a very hostile environment. The Grizzly in question is a blast-resistant armored truck designed and built by Blackwater USA (now Xe). It was entered in the USA’s aborted MRAP-II competition, but the vehicle division was closed in November 2008. The RTA’s vehicles was presumably purchased second-hand, and many of its parts are common to the
Axsys V-14 MSII Cameras. These multi-axis stabilized turrets by General Dynamics subsidiary Axsys offer long range day/night surveillance. The package includes 5 cameras in total, 3 of which will be installed on Thai Army helicopters (2 Bell 212s, and 1 UH-1H Huey). Another 3 helicopters will be configured to be able to deploy this turret, ensuring availability n the air.
Troll Systems down-link systems. To transmit live HDTV pictures to multiple locations simultaneously and over extended distances. Troll’s down-link systems have been installed on all airborne platforms used in the program, allowing airborne video to stream to other airborne team members, tactical operations centers, the mobile command vehicle, and intelligence centers, for possible relay to locations in Bangkok.
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Thailand-Contracts-Aria-for-Blimps-Communications-05401/#more-5401 |
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