LONDON–Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), developer of the Airlander 10 hybrid airship, says it has secured reservations for three aircraft for military use.
The company, which is gearing up to put the Airlander 10 into production in Doncaster, England, says three of the airships have been reserved by “an innovative defense contractor” that is looking to offer the aircraft’s capabilities to its customers. The contractor’s identity has not been disclosed.
While much of the interest in the airship since its relaunch has so far come from the commercial market, the Airlander 10 was born out of a military requirement for a U.S. Army intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform. But the service canceled the program in 2013.
Despite the Airlander 10’s size and speed, HAV says it has multiple military uses, including as an elevated sensing platform for high-powered radars, allowing them to stay aloft for several days at a time rather than hours on a fixed-wing aircraft.
The company also suggests the airship could be used as a means of deploying and recovering drone swarms, and as a maritime patrol and surveillance platform, distributing and monitoring anti-submarine warfare sensors.
In 2023, HAV signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with BAE System’s FalconWorks advanced research and technology business to explore the potential of the Airlander aircraft for security and defense applications.
George Land, HAV’s executive director for sales, said the aircraft’s versatility and payload give it some “obvious advantages” for the ISR mission. The company expected additional military orders to follow, he said.
