World's largest aircraft, the Airlander 10 hybrid airship was rolled out from its hangar in Bedfordshire, UK on Saturday. The 92 m lo...
World's largest aircraft, the Airlander 10 hybrid airship was rolled out from its hangar in Bedfordshire, UK on Saturday.
The 92 m long airship will now commence ground testing ahead of maiden flight.
This hybrid design offers low noise, low pollution ultra-long endurance point-to-point cargo-carrying capacity with reduced operating cost.
Built by Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the Airlander 10 was originally built for the cancelled US Army's Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) program, designated HAV 304.
The airship was then repurchased by HAV in 2013, and refurbished for civilian purposes including surveillance, monitoring, communications, cargo and aid delivery, passenger roles and potential military roles.
With a width of 43.5 m (143 ft) and height of 26 m (85 ft), the Airlander 10's helium filled fabric laminated hull occupies 38,000 cubic meter volume.
Sixty percent of the lift is provided by the buoyancy while the elliptical hull cross section allied to a cambered longitudinal shape provides up to 40 percent, drastically reducing operating cost compared to current fixed wing surveillance platforms.
Multiple ballonets located fore and aft in each of the hulls provide pressure control. Four fins are provided for horizontal and vertical stability.
It is powered by four 325 hp, 4 litre V8 direct injection, turbocharged diesel engines, each attached to five carbon composite battens. Two engines are mounted forward on the hull and two on the stern of the hull for cruise operation.
All four engines are configured in ducts with blown vanes to allow vectored thrust for take-off/landing/ground handling operation.
For landing, pneumatic tubes / retractable skids on the underside of the two outer hulls provide multi-surface ground operation including amphibious capability.
Maximum weight is 20,000 kg and the airship has an endurance of 5 days when manned and up to two weeks when unmanned. It can cruise at 80 knots and loiter at 20 knots.
The carbon composite payload module which sits behind the cockpit, fitted under the enormous belly can carry a payload of up to 10,000 kg including passengers or cargo.
The yet to be announced first flight will be from and to Cardington Air Field, near Bedford, followed by extensive flight testing for 200 hours over a number of months and then a series of trials and demonstrations to prospective customers, HAV says.
HAV has benefited from over £60 million of investment in the aircraft from the US Government and approximately £7 million of EU and UK Government grants.
The 92 m long airship will now commence ground testing ahead of maiden flight.
This hybrid design offers low noise, low pollution ultra-long endurance point-to-point cargo-carrying capacity with reduced operating cost.
Built by Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), the Airlander 10 was originally built for the cancelled US Army's Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) program, designated HAV 304.
The airship was then repurchased by HAV in 2013, and refurbished for civilian purposes including surveillance, monitoring, communications, cargo and aid delivery, passenger roles and potential military roles.
With a width of 43.5 m (143 ft) and height of 26 m (85 ft), the Airlander 10's helium filled fabric laminated hull occupies 38,000 cubic meter volume.
Sixty percent of the lift is provided by the buoyancy while the elliptical hull cross section allied to a cambered longitudinal shape provides up to 40 percent, drastically reducing operating cost compared to current fixed wing surveillance platforms.
Multiple ballonets located fore and aft in each of the hulls provide pressure control. Four fins are provided for horizontal and vertical stability.
It is powered by four 325 hp, 4 litre V8 direct injection, turbocharged diesel engines, each attached to five carbon composite battens. Two engines are mounted forward on the hull and two on the stern of the hull for cruise operation.
All four engines are configured in ducts with blown vanes to allow vectored thrust for take-off/landing/ground handling operation.
For landing, pneumatic tubes / retractable skids on the underside of the two outer hulls provide multi-surface ground operation including amphibious capability.
Maximum weight is 20,000 kg and the airship has an endurance of 5 days when manned and up to two weeks when unmanned. It can cruise at 80 knots and loiter at 20 knots.
The carbon composite payload module which sits behind the cockpit, fitted under the enormous belly can carry a payload of up to 10,000 kg including passengers or cargo.
The yet to be announced first flight will be from and to Cardington Air Field, near Bedford, followed by extensive flight testing for 200 hours over a number of months and then a series of trials and demonstrations to prospective customers, HAV says.
HAV has benefited from over £60 million of investment in the aircraft from the US Government and approximately £7 million of EU and UK Government grants.
