Hybrid Air Vehicles
Encyclopedia
Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd., led by Chief Executive Gary Elliott , is a designer of air vehicles known as hybrid airship
s. These vehicles, such as the prototype HAV-3
, utilize both aerodynamics and lighter-than-air technology to generate lift, potentially allowing the vehicle to stay aloft for a few weeks.
To produce the design, the company, based in Cranfield
, Bedfordshire
, England, has partnered with Northrop Grumman
in a $500 million contract, using its HAV 304 platform. The company uses its different designs for multiple market opportunities, using its bi-hull configured design for long endurance surveillance & reconnaisance aircraft, its tri-hull configured design for heavy lift transportation and its more traditional airship configured designs for high altitude solutions.
In August 2011, HAV signed a provisional deal with Discovery Air Innovations to sell the hybrids for use in Northern Canada
. The deal, which the companies hope to have finalised by 2012, could involve up to 45 airships at $40 million per craft, with the first being delivered in 2014.
Also worth a read is the recent US Congress Budget Office Report on their Military Airship programmes which clearly outlines the US plans.
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-2051075/GARY-ELLIOTT-INTERVIEW-Takeoff-airship-revival.html
Hybrid airship
"A hybrid airship is an aircraft that combines characteristics of heavier-than-air technology, fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter, and lighter-than-air , aerostat technology."[1]Examples include helicopter/airship hybrids intended for heavy lift applications and dynamic lift airships intended for...
s. These vehicles, such as the prototype HAV-3
HAV-3
The HAV-3, , is a heavier than air aircraft designed for unmanned, long-endurance, medium-altitude intelligence operations...
, utilize both aerodynamics and lighter-than-air technology to generate lift, potentially allowing the vehicle to stay aloft for a few weeks.
To produce the design, the company, based in Cranfield
Cranfield
Cranfield is a village and civil parish in north west Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Milton Keynes. It has a population of 4,909, and is in Central Bedfordshire District....
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England, has partnered with Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
in a $500 million contract, using its HAV 304 platform. The company uses its different designs for multiple market opportunities, using its bi-hull configured design for long endurance surveillance & reconnaisance aircraft, its tri-hull configured design for heavy lift transportation and its more traditional airship configured designs for high altitude solutions.
In August 2011, HAV signed a provisional deal with Discovery Air Innovations to sell the hybrids for use in Northern Canada
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...
. The deal, which the companies hope to have finalised by 2012, could involve up to 45 airships at $40 million per craft, with the first being delivered in 2014.
Also worth a read is the recent US Congress Budget Office Report on their Military Airship programmes which clearly outlines the US plans.
External links
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-2051075/GARY-ELLIOTT-INTERVIEW-Takeoff-airship-revival.html