Cardington Airfield, United Kingdom

The goal of Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) is to offer a unique combination of low emissions, fuel burn, noise, and operating costs.

The vision of Airlander 10 is to be the future of zero-carbon aviation as the company’s long-term goal.

And now HAV has recently announced that the Airlander aircraft could be fully electric by the year 2030.

Hydrogen fuel cells would convert gas into electrical energy via a chemical reaction rather than by burning it off.

This would decarbonize air travel since the only emission would be water.

Airlander 10 is a hybrid airship designed and built by British manufacturer Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV).

Comprising a helium airship with auxiliary wing and tail surfaces, it flies using both aerostatic and aerodynamic lift and is currently powered by four diesel engine-driven ducted propellers.

The Airlander 10 possesses a sizeable flight deck with four large floor-to-ceiling windows, providing a high level of external visibility.

The highly flexible payload space opens up entirely new options for configuration including a dining room in the sky to a multi-mission system protecting people and places.

The hull of the airship comprises a skin made of triple-layered combination of composite materials.

The skin keeps in the gas and provides rigidity so the craft retains its shape when inflated.

The four engines, fins and the flight deck are attached directly to it.

Materials used include Vectran, Kevlar, Tedlar, Polyurethane, and Mylar; the Mylar layer, enveloped within polyurethane film layers, forms the airship’s gas barrier.

The Airlander 10 only has diaphragms and ballonets internal framework; weight from the payload module is distributed across every frame via cables running across and into the hull as well.

According to HAV’s Technical Director Mike Durham, the entirety of the airship’s structural strength is derived from being inflated to just above atmospheric pressure with a 4-in water gauge pressure (around 0.15 psi, 1 kPa, or 1% of a standard atmosphere) differential; this strength is due to the diameter of the vessel despite the relatively-low pressure differential.

The Airlander 10 is powered by a total of four Thielert Centurion 325 hp (242 kW) V8 diesel engines which drive sets of three-bladed ducted propellers to provide the thrust for both flights and maneuvering.

These engines are positioned in pairs, one set being located towards the rear of the airship, while the other are positioned alongside the sides of the forward fuselage, mounted on stub wings.

Each engine is furnished with a 67 hp (50 kW) generator, which provides electrical power for the airship and its mission systems.

Hybrid Air Vehicles is now currently developing electric motors with the goal to deliver a hybrid-electric Airlander 10 from 2025.

This will provide a 90% reduction on emissions over other aircraft in mobility and logistics applications while offering operational flexibility in service.

In time, all four of Airlander 10’s engines will be electric.

This will give future customers the option for a zero-emissions aircraft, in service by 2030.

As of January 2020, the company is planning to manufacture a batch of certified, production standard Airlander 10 hybrid airships.

Compared to the prototype they are planned to feature reduced aerodynamic drag, improved landing gear and a larger payload cabin.

HAV estimate the CO2 footprint per passenger on Airlander 10 will be about 4.5kg, compared with about 53kg per passenger on a jet plane.

Project: Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander 10
Designers: Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd.
Manufacturer: Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd.