The Flying Truck?

This work has culminated with the launch of the LMH-1 Hybrid Airship. Designed as a versatile cargo transport, Lockheed Martin has just secured its first order from British operator Straightline Aviation, thrusting the return of the airship from a dream into reality.

But unlike the rigid airships of yesteryear, Skunk Works’ design is a heavier-than-air construction, which relies on both lighter-than-air gas (helium), and aerodynamic properties to provide lift and manoeuvrability. With a market price of US$40m each, the 82m-long craft has the potential to revolutionise transportation to remote locations.

Hybrid Enterprises sells the Hybrid Airship on behalf of Lockheed Martin. Its chief executive, Rob Binns, is upbeat about the practical applications of such an aircraft.

“The Hybrid Airship has been 20 years in the making. It is the world’s first cargo airship, designed to bring affordable, environmentally friendly transportation to remote locations,” Binns told Australian Aviation in an interview during a recent visit to Perth.

“When you realise half of the world’s population doesn’t have access to paved roads, you can get a real sense of the opportunities that the Hybrid Airship opens up. ” And the new design will not suffer the same fate as Hindenburg, as its lift is generated using the inert helium gas. Binns explains: “Unlike the airships of the 1920s that were lighter than air, the Hybrid Airship is somewhat heavier than air. Eighty per cent of the lift is generated by the helium, while the remaining 20 per cent is achieved from the aerodynamic design of the envelope. Basically, the envelope is one giant wing, creating lift. ” Rather than one giant hull, Skunk Works’ design resembles a catamaran, with two distinct hulls joined centrally to create a wide envelope. It is this design that gives the hull its aerodynamic properties.

A cabin, or gondola, hangs beneath the forward area of the hull. Here a two-person crew can operate the aircraft, while up to 19 passengers can be seated in a familiar 2-2 configuration layout behind them.

A 21,000kg payload is stored in the cargo bay, which is accessible via 18-metre doors that allow direct loading from the aft of the aircraft. Four giant fins are located at the tail end of the airship, to provide stability, while its 60kt cruise speed is achieved from four outboard propellers, powered by aviation-rated diesel engines.

Flexibility, durability

The Hybrid Airship opens up a unique opportunity for minerals companies in remote locations, as it could eliminate the need for road or rail infrastructure. Rather, it can provide affordable air transport of plant, equipment and personnel direct to any location within a range of 1,400nm.

And it is virtually self-contained. It does not require ground support to land, as unlike airships of old, the heavier than air characteristics allow it to descend and land unaided.

It also doesn’t require a mooring mast, so it can land on virtually any terrain without ground support. Once on the ground, it can deliver its cargo by ‘anchoring’ itself to any terrestrial surface, allowing a roll-on roll-off operation.

The aircraft achieves this flexibility through an air cushion landing system. Similar to the effect created by a hovercraft, this system allows the aircraft to manoeuvre itself on the ground with ‘anchorage’ achieved by reversing the airflow and creating a vacuum. This effectively attaches the Hybrid Airship to the ground for maximum stability during unloading operations.

Although primarily a cargo transport, as the aircraft is designed to carry passengers, it allows personnel transportation opportunities to be opened up in remote areas across the globe, regardless of the climate or surface conditions.

“The Hybrid Airship can land on any surface on Earth, from the Australian outback to Antarctic ice,” comments Binns. “It can operate in temperatures from -40 to 50 degrees Celsius. ”

Australian opportunity

Locally, the characteristics of the Hybrid Airship challenge the thinking of traditional mining operations, especially when looking at new start-ups.

Historically, new minerals operations require extensive infrastructure investment upfront. Often costing billions, this barrier has derailed many projects in the past. With the Australian economy cooling off on the back of a lower iron ore price, investment dollars of this magnitude are hard to come by.

The Hybrid Airship’s comparatively low acquisition cost, and ability to access remote locations, offers a tangible alternative and bypasses this barrier in a cost-effective way that fixed-wing aircraft, road and rail are unable to match.

Binns feels that these characteristics of the Hybrid Airship will appeal to Australian business. “For Australian resource companies, the Hybrid Airship will dramatically reduce the cost of building infrastructure in remote areas. It’s far more economical to acquire a fleet of Hybrid Airships than invest the sometimes billions of dollars required to build road, rail and other transportation infrastructure to remote mining areas. ” And Binns is keen to challenge the dated perceptions of airship technology, with the Hybrid Airship promising to be a self-contained transport network. “Unlike the airships of the 1920s, this design doesn’t require ground support as it can land and anchor itself. It’s a fully independent transportation method that can operate in any environment in Australia. ” The Hybrid Airship is currently undergoing FAA, EASA and Transport Canada certification, with a full-size prototype due to fly in 2017. Once approved, it will be certified under a new Hybrid Airship category, and is expected to enter service in 2018.

Basically, the envelope is one giant wing, creating lift.