Purpose. The unmanned stratospheric pseudo-satellite PS-11 is designed to test critical elements of long-term stratospheric flight technologies.
Technical properties. The pseudo-satellite PS-11 “KROKUS” is a twin-engine high-wing aircraft with tractor propellers located on the wing pylons. The airframe is made of fiberglass and carbon fiber, individual loaded structural elements are made of high-strength aluminum alloys. Main technical characteristics of the PS-11: maximum take-off weight, kg – no more than 16; target load weight, kg – up to 0.5; wingspan, m – 11; flight endurance (estimated) – no more than 18 hours; cruising speed at an altitude of 20,000 m – 98 km/h; online video transmission range, km – 50; technical range, km – up to 60; number of digital secure data transmission channels – 2; control system type — automatic/semi-automatic.
Advantages. The main advantage of the PS-11 is its onboard power source, consisting of more than 300 films — solar cells, providing power supply to both the aircraft system and its power plant. World analogues of this BPS are Zephyr-7/8 (Great Britain), Pathfinder (USA) and others.
Description. During daylight hours, the PS-11 can receive photographs of territories that are competitive with satellite photographs, perform monitoring tasks for objects (individual structures, roads, bridges, vehicles, oil and gas pipelines, power lines, etc.), conduct visual reconnaissance of the ground situation) and conduct search and rescue operations. The received telemetry and video (photo, IR) data can be transmitted online or recorded on the onboard storage device.