A Bangor company announced Tuesday that it's been given the Federal Aviation Administration's first Special Airworthiness Certificate for an Experimental Unmanned Airship.

Telford Aviation Inc.'s prototype Skybus 30K Airship is 90 feet long and looks like a traditional helium-filled blimp. Remote-operated by a pilot on the ground, company President Bob Ziegelaar said it can carry cameras and sensors for uses as varied as border security to counting wildlife.

A traditional blimp flies at 1,500 to 1,200 feet; the Skybus can fly higher and stay in the air 48 hours, he said.

Telford partnered with Science Applications International out of Virginia for the Skybus. It's being manufactured at the former Loring Air Force Base.

Just how many jobs it creates will depend on orders.

"We don't want to be overly optimistic or overly pessimistic," Ziegelaar said. "We suspect there are some other (companies testing this same technology) out there - at least we're the first out of the block."

The price for the Skybus: $1 million apiece.