With would-be operator Straightline Aviation placing a $50 million firm order for the first hybrid cargo airship, to be produced by AT² Aerospace based on a Lockheed Martin Skunk Works design, are we about to enter a new age of airships?
The first Z1 hybrid airship is to be delivered to Straightline in 2028 for initial cargo and humanitarian deployments to Brazil, Alaska and northern Canada.
Florida-based VerdeGo Aero is aiming to certify a suite of hybrid-electric integrated propulsion systems under the FAA’s Part 33 rules for aeroengines.
Retaining Moya's same tiltbody electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) airframe, the hybrid version increases range capability to 185 mi. while maintaining the 440-lb. payload capability.
When it comes to speed and payload, there is a large gap in the transport network between the capacities of fixed-wing aircraft and ships, trucks and trains.
The founder and CEO of Canadian hybrid-electric eVTOL startup Horizon Aircraft said he expects to make the first transition with a half-scale demo by midsummer.
Canadian air taxi startup Horizon Air recently announced a design change from five to seven seats for its hybrid-electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft.
