Hybrid Air Vehicles
 |
|
| Limited | |
| Industry | Aviation |
| Predecessor | SkyCat Group Ltd |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Roger Munk |
| Headquarters | RAF Cardington, United Kingdom |
|
Area served
|
Worldwide |
|
Key people
|
Philip Gwyn (Chairman) Stephen McGlennan (Chief Executive) |
| Products | Airlander 10 |
| Website | www |
Hybrid Air Vehicles Limited is a British manufacturer of hybrid airships. These aircraft use both aerodynamics and lighter-than-air (LTA) technology to generate lift, potentially allowing the vehicle to stay aloft for several weeks.
The company developed the HAV 3 technology demonstrator. This won it the US Army LEMV contract, in association with Northrop Grumman as the prime contractor, and led to the HAV 304. Following termination of the LEMV project, the HAV 304 was rebuilt as the Airlander 10. It is the largest aircraft flying today.
HAV is the latest in a line of companies to acquire and develop airship technologies in the UK. Aerospace Developments was formed in 1971 and since then its assets have passed through successive companies Airship Developments, Airship Industries, Westinghouse Airships, Airship Technologies, Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) and, immediately preceding HAV, the SkyCat group which folded in 2007.
During this period a number of airships and hybrids were built.
Hybrid Air Vehicles was formed in 2007 by Roger Munk. It acquired the assets of the SkyCat group and established itself at Cardington Airfield, Bedfordshire, UK.
The company developed the HAV 3 technology demonstrator. In partnership with Northrop Grumman (NGC) as prime contractor, in 2009 it won a US$500 million US Army contract to develop a Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), which was delivered between 2009 and early 2013. Hybrid Air Vehicles designed, developed and manufactured the HAV 304 aircraft for the LEMV project, with NGC acting as the prime contractor and sensor system integrator. On August 7 2012 a successful 90-minute test flight took place in Lakehurst, New Jersey. The LEMV project was cancelled In February 2013.
Hybrid Air Vehicles took the opportunity to buy back the envelope and associated materials, which they returned to the UK for conversion to the civilian Airlander 10. In 2014 it was unveiled in Cardington. It is reported as the world's largest aircraft.
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Wikipedia