Airlander

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Airlander
Airlander 10
Type: Hybrid airship
Design country:

United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom

Manufacturer:

Hybrid air vehicles

First flight:

17th August 2016

The Airlander is a hybrid airship .

Airlander 10

Test flight as LEMV 2012 in Lakehurst

Hybrid Air Vehicles started developing the prototype HAV 301 from around 2010 as a subcontractor of the US defense company Northrop Grumman as part of the Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) project , which was financed by the US Department of Defense with 60 million US dollars. The HAV 301 completed its maiden flight in August 2012 at the airship airfield in Lakehurst , New Jersey .

The project was supposed to lead to a high-flying reconnaissance airship for the US armed forces in Afghanistan , but was discontinued shortly after the first flight.

The British manufacturer then bought the prototype back for $ 301,000.

Hybrid Air Vehicles is sponsored by the German Linde AG and its British subsidiary BOC .

The civilian use of the hybrid airship is financed on the one hand by crowdfunding , on the other hand by the British government and Bruce Dickinson (singer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden and pilot). In 2015, crowdfunding invested £ 2,196,870 .

The maiden flight as Airlander 10 took place on August 17, 2016 at the former British military base in Cardington .

In January 2020, HAV announced the start of production of an improved version of the Airlander 10 as well as the future development of an electric drive. However, the company is still in negotiations with customers and investors for a production facility.

Incidents

The second flight took place on August 24, 2016. A power line of the British operator UK Power Networks was touched, which was initially denied. The airship was damaged on landing at Cardington Airfield when it touched down with the bow and the pilot's cabin first. The cabin was dented. The crew was not harmed.

On November 18, 2017, the prototype broke loose from its retaining mast. A safety mechanism, which is supposed to ensure that the aircraft does not become an uncontrollable danger, let the envelope tear open and the helium escape as intended. The airship went down on the edge of Cardington Airfield. One employee was slightly injured in the incident and another employee was also slightly injured during the clean-up work

Technical specifications

At 92 meters long and 42 meters wide, the Airlander 10 is currently the longest aircraft in the world. The hybrid airship can transport 10 t of cargo or 48 passengers at a speed of 150 km / h and can stay in the air for up to three weeks with a full helium charge . The outer skin is made of a Vectran - fiber composite material , the gas cells are kept plump only by the internal pressure and have no other supporting skeleton. Many structural components are made from carbon fiber composites . It is powered by four diesel engines from the manufacturer Continental Motors , part of the Chinese AVIC , each with an output of 240 kW (325 hp ).

Airlander 50

The Airlander 50 is a larger version of the Airlander 10 that is being planned for up to 50 tons of cargo.

See also

Web links

Commons : Airlander  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Register: Huge new airships for US Army: designed in Blighty , June 22, 2010
  2. ↑ Gerhard Hegmann: The apparent comeback of the big air ships. In: welt.de . March 29, 2016, accessed October 7, 2018 .
  3. ↑ https://www.crowdcube.com/investment/hybrid-air-vehicles-18450
  4. ↑ Gerhard Hegmann: Airlander 10: The great bluff about the largest airship in the world. In: welt.de . August 18, 2016, accessed October 7, 2018 .
  5. ↑ O. Schenk: Airlander 10 takes off for the first time. Flugrevue, August 18, 2016, accessed on August 18, 2016 .
  6. ↑ HAV: The Production Airlander 10 is Revealed. January 11, 2020, accessed on March 31, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Werner Pluta: Hybrid airship: Airlander 10 brushed overland lines. Golem.de, August 26, 2016, accessed on August 27, 2016 .
  8. ↑ n-tv news television: Wednesday, August 24, 2016. Accessed August 24, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Record Airlander crash-lands , accessed on August 24, 2016
  10. ↑ "Airlander 10": The world's largest airship crashed in England . In: Spiegel Online . November 19, 2017 ( spiegel.de [accessed November 19, 2017]).
  11. ^ Heise announcement of November 19, 2017; online: https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Luftschiff-Airlander-10-bei-Havarie-beschaedigt-3893617.html accessed on November 20, 2017
  12. ↑ Press release Hybrid Air Vehicles from November 18, 2017; online: https://www.hybridairvehicles.com/news-and-media/news/airlander-media-statement-18-november-2017 accessed on November 20, 2017 (English)
  13. ↑ Patrick Schroeder: The world's largest airship is preparing for a test flight. In: ingenieur.de. VDI, March 24, 2016, accessed on August 23, 2016 .
  14. ↑ Airlander 10 Technical Data (PDF) ( Memento of the original dated December 2, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hybridairvehicles.com
  15. ↑ Airlander 10. Hybrid Air Vehicles, accessed December 31, 2018 .
  16. ^ Airlander 50 , accessed February 12, 2016.