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The Airlander 10 is a massive airship that's currently under construction in a hangar in England.
The huge blimp was originally going to be deployed by the U.S. Army for long-term surveillance, but in 2012 the project tanked due to delays and budgetary issues. Hybrid Air Vehicles, the craft's original designer, bought it back from the U.S. In 2013 — and now, with grants from the UK government and the EU, plus a crowdfunding campaign, the world's largest aircraft will hopefully fly again.
The Airlander 10 is 302 feet long, 143 feet wide, and 85 feet tall. The envelope has a volume of 1.34 million cubic feet. Filled with helium, the dirigible won't explode like the Hindenburg. The skin of the envelope is made from a composite of polymers Kevlar, Mylar, and Vectran, which Hybrid Air Vehicles claims can withstand some small arms fire.
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The Airlander 10 features four propellers — two at the back, and one each at the front left and front right — powered by four diesel-powered turbocharged V8 engines. Max airspeed is about 80 knots, or 92 mph, with a payload capacity of around 22,000 pounds.
In February, HAV received a $5 million grant from the UK government; in March, the company got another 2.7 million from the EU. So far, HAV has raised $890,000 via crowd funding.
Currently, HAV is pitching the Airlander 10 as a greener (lower carbon footprint) way of moving stuff around as opposed to fuel-hungry jetliners and trucks.
For more of the Ars Technica story: arstechnica.com
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