Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle
| HAV 304 / Airlander 10 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| The Airlander 10 in Cardington Hangar on 21 March 2016 | |
| Role | Hybrid airship |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Hybrid Air Vehicles |
| First flight | 7 August 2012 (as HAV 304) |
| Status | Prototype |
| Number built | 1 |
| Unit cost |
£25m
|
The Hybrid Air Vehicles HAV 304 / Airlander 10 is a hybrid airship designed and manufactured by British manufacturer Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV). Comprising an airship with auxiliary wing and tail surfaces, it flies using both aerostatic and aerodynamic lift and is powered by four diesel engine-driven ducted propellers. The Airlander 10 has the distinction of being the largest aircraft flying today.
In its original form as the HAV 304, it was built for the United States Army's Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) programme. The requirement was for a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle able to provide Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) support for ground troops. In 2012, the HAV 304 conducted its maiden flight at Lakehurst, New Jersey, in the United States. In 2013, the LEMV project, and thus development of the HAV 304, was cancelled by the US Army.
Following the termination of the LEMV programme, HAV reacquired the airship and brought it back to RAF Cardington in England. It was reassembled and modified for civilian use, and in this form was redesignated as the Airlander 10. In August 2016, the reassembled airship returned to the skies. On 24 August, near the end of its second test flight, the Airlander 10 made a hard landing at Cardington Airfield after listing forward, damaging its cockpit. After 4 months of repairs, the airship was relaunched in December that year.
During the 1990s, British engineer Roger Munk founded a company, Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), for the purpose of conducting development and marketing work upon on a large modern hybrid airship concept, referred to early on as Sky Cat. HAV formed a partnership with US aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman to collaborate and promote the type to various military operators, particularly those of the US. Following the successful demonstration of the HAV-3 small-scale demonstrator, and with Northrop Grumman as the prime bidder, the hybrid airship concept was accepted for the US Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) project, in preference to the Lockheed Martin P-791 that had also been submitted.
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