“Is this the dawning of a new age of the airship?” gushed the Guardian’s headline the morning after Hybrid Air Vehicles debuted their Airlander 10 in front of representatives of the media and aviation enthusiasts in rural Bedfordshire, U.K. This wasn’t one of those Victorian-Era deathtraps. Neither was it the “Hindenburg.” Like every commercial airship since that 1937 disaster, Airlander 10 uses nonflammable helium.
The futuristic craft, resembling two gargantuan conjoined albino bananas on steroids, was described by the local media as “a shiny, futuristic craft the size of a football pitch” and “a great British innovation,” and finally and most frequently as a “flying bum,” for its striking resemblance to the humanoid posterior.
But beyond the aircraft’s striking visuals, its creators stress its implications for air cargo transportation. At 92 meters long and 43.5 meters wide, Airlander 10 is being called the world’s largest aircraft. And while it dwarfs other contenders for size, such as the A380, the lighter-than-air craft is far cheaper, with a catalogue price of US$32.87 million.
It can carry a 10-tonne payload and was developed with $300 million in funding from the U.S. Air Force. Hybrid Air Vehicles says the Airlander 10 can reach 16,000 feet, fly at up to 90 miles per hour and stay aloft for two weeks.
Will this be the (slow) future of heavy-lift air cargo? Check out this video and see for yourself:
Join us for networking and discussion of logistics innovation at Air Cargo World’s new ELEVATE 2016 Conference, Oct. 10, in Miami. Click here for details.