Ziyan of China has developed a complete family of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) that includes the "Blowfish I" entry. Blowfish is marketed as a multi-mission platform capable of conducting a plethora of over-battlefields roles and tasks with a helicopter-type toolset in mind. This means critical resupply of forward-operating forces, reconnaissance of enemy positions and direct targeting of enemy elements at range. Additionally, such a system has inherent disaster relief / humanitarian capabilities suitable for Search-And-Rescue (SAR) and related roles.
The platform operates from low-to-medium altitudes and features a three-bladed main rotor overhead working in conjunction with a three-bladed tail rotor unit seated towards port side to counteract torque generated by the main rotor. The fuselage is deep and squat, tapering towards the top as the main rotor unit sits low over it. The undercarriage is simple and low-cost, being a four-point skid arrangement and capable of landing on rough, uneven terrain. The tail stem is short compared to the overall length of the fuselage and houses the drive shaft for the tail rotor unit while sporting vertical surface control planes.
Blowfish I is marketed with an all-weather operational capability and capable of navigating complex terrain types (such as urban settings and mountainous). An autonomous, "single-click" return function is built into the UAV for simply recovery and relaunch. The payload capacity reaches 18 kilograms and mission kits are fitted under the belly for easy access / replacement. An optics/sensor fit is managed at the nose under a transparent aerodynamic dome covering.
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September 2018 - It was revealed that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China has taken the Blowfish I UHS into active service.
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Close-Air Support (CAS)
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.
✓Special-Mission: Search & Rescue (SAR)
Ability to locate and extract personnel from areas of potential harm or peril (i.e. downed airmen in the sea).
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
✓Special Forces
Serving Special Forces / Special Operations elements and missions.
✓Unmanned Capability
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.
Length
5.9 ft (1.80 m)
Width/Span
6.2 ft (1.90 m)
Height
2.0 ft (0.62 m)
Empty Wgt
26 lb (12 kg)
MTOW
110 lb (50 kg)
Wgt Diff
+84 lb (+38 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Ziyan Blowfish production variant)
Installed:
1 x Engine driving three-bladed main rotor unit and three-bladed tail rotor unit.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Ziyan Blowfish production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
None.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Blowfish - Base Series Name
Blowfish I
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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