UK firm to spend £338m on hybrid airships

UK firm to purchase Lockheed Martin airships to transport cargo

Straightline Aviation (SLA) has signed a letter of intent to purchase up to 12 Lockheed Martin hybrid airships with a potential value of approximately $480 million (£338 million).

The company is currently working with Hybrid Enterprises, Lockheed Martin's hybrid airship reseller, to finalise the purchase agreement.

The first delivery of the airships is scheduled for 2018, with the final airship expected no later than 2021.

The helium-filled airships will be able to carry 20 tonnes of cargo to remote places without roads. They will even be able to hover over open water. Lockheed has been pitching the airships as a cheaper, more environmentally friendly way to deliver supplies and equipment.

Hybrid aircrafts fly using a combination of bouyant lift and aerodynamic lift together with vectored thrust from their engines, and are capable of operating from unprepared ground, water and ice, lifting up to 20 tonnes in weight. Hybrid airships are currently being manufactured in the United States by Lockheed Martin, as well as in the UK by company Hybrid Air Vehicles.

Speaking about the company’s investment in Lockheed Martin’s airships, Mike Kendrick, chief executive of Straighline Aviation, said: “The Lockheed Martin hybrid airship is an aviation breakthrough that will change the way cargo can be moved around the world. We view it as the future of energy-efficient cargo transportation and it is for that reason we want to be the first to own and operate Hybrid freighters.

“Lockheed Martin’s hybrid airship has the same cargo capacity as a Boeing 737 but can transport this with a third of the fuel and with a third of the carbon footprint. These traits especially appeal to solar energy, mining and oil and gas operations that are located in isolated and hard to reach locations. The hybrid airship is faster than a ships, quicker than road transport and does not need an airport.”