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Purchased by
UK-based aviation company Hybrid Air Vehicles in 2013, the
302-foot (92 meters) helium-filled airship was originally
developed for the U.S. Army as a spy aircraft to hover over war
zones for weeks using only a fraction of the fuel needed by
conventional aircraft.
Hybrid Air hopes to attract customers, and corner the market, in
areas ranging from humanitarian aid delivery to cargo shipments
in hard to reach places.
The airship is a hybrid of a blimp, which maintains it shape
from internal gas pressure, and a zeppelin, which has a rigid
airframe. The Hybrid Air craft can carry 80 tonnes of cargo and
cruise between 23 to 92 miles per hour (20 to 80 knots) at an
altitude of 20,000 feet, according to the company.
The Airlander can take off and land vertically and can operate
from open fields, deserts, ice or water, meaning it can operate
where most conventional airplanes cannot.
Airships have a history stretching back to the 19th century,
although their use was curtailed by competition from airplanes
in the 20th century and high-profile accidents such as the
Hindenburg disaster in 1937.
Hybrid Air is a privately held company funded so far by 17.5
million pounds raised from 1,000 shareholders. It has benefited
from U.S. investment, and British and EU grants.
A series of final ground tests is planned for the weeks ahead of
the flight. If all goes well, the company hopes to be building a
12 more airships by 2018.
(Reporting by Ben Gruber in Miami; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
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