Inventor Georgy Vasiliev from Kazan proposed an unusual way to increase the autonomy of a stratospheric aircraft. According to his idea, heat from the engine can be used not only to create thrust, but also to control lift.

The main feature of the design is a closed thermodynamic cycle engine. Unlike a conventional engine, its working fluid circulates within its own circuit, and the external rarefied atmosphere is not used to form the working process.

This allows for operation at altitudes of about 15–25 km, where conventional power plants have to deal with low air density.

Heat from the combustion chamber is transferred through heat exchangers to the envelope filled with lifting gas. Heating changes its parameters and allows the lift to be regulated. At the same time, part of the heat can be used to heat onboard equipment.

The design also solves another problem — dependence on sunlight. The patent provides for operation on liquid fuel instead of solar panels. This should allow the platform to maintain power supply at night and in high cloud cover, as well as have more power to maintain position in strong winds.