HAV Airlander arrives in the US: Hybrid airship set to redefine defence and sustainable aviation
July 11, 2025
The HAV Airlander has arrived in the US, bringing with it a quiet revolution.
Floating gently at 20,000 feet, powered by helium and shaped like a futuristic dream, the Airlander is more than a quirky silhouette on the horizon. It may just be the aircraft the 21st century needs.
What began as a theoretical exploration at the US Naval Postgraduate School has evolved into a tangible technological breakthrough, thanks to the combined vision of British aerospace innovator Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) and forward-thinking US defence personnel.
This week, HAV officially announced the creation of its US arm, Hybrid Air Vehicles USA, a major strategic expansion that signals just how seriously the company is being taken by American defence, industry, and logistics leaders.
The newly incorporated HAV USA will be led by aerospace veteran John Schumacher, a former NASA official and defence strategist, who calls the move “a new chapter in transatlantic aerospace innovation.”
HAV is in the final stages of planning for the production of Airlander 10.
Airlander 10, with a modular payload design, is capable of transporting over 100 passengers and a ten-ton payload of freight.
Alternatively, it can provide a highly instrumented cabin for persistent surveillance, reconnaissance and communications for national security, commercial, or disaster response.
“Airlander will provide capabilities vital to US national security and commerce. Exciting days lie ahead!” says Schumacher, who is now the President of Hybrid Air Vehicles USA.
How the innovative HAV Airlander made it to the USA
The story of Airlander’s American journey starts not in a boardroom, but in a classroom.
Captains Ben Cohen and John Schmaltz, two US Marine Corps officers studying at the Naval Postgraduate School, began asking what now seems like a fundamental question: Could a civilian hybrid aircraft like Airlander offer answers to the Pentagon’s toughest logistics and mobility challenges in contested zones?
Their thesis work caught the attention of the Department of Defence’s Operational Energy Office, which funded a joint project titled “Zero Carbon Logistics Support via Hybrid Aircraft.”
What followed was a powerful collaboration between HAV and the US Indo-Pacific Command to explore how the Airlander could support surveillance, communications, and logistics across the vast, infrastructure-limited stretches of the Pacific.
Now, with HAV USA established and the Airlander on track for commercial service by 2029, those classroom theories are becoming operational realities.
“We are anticipating aircraft in service with customers from 2029, with test flying to begin at some point before that. The exact timeline is dependent on a variety of factors, including orders, certification, and build progress,” the official exudes confidence.
The HAV Airlander: The aircraft that can land (almost) anywhere
Airlander isn’t your average aircraft. Technically a hybrid airship, it combines aerodynamic lift, buoyant helium, and vectored thrust, giving it the ability to take off and land vertically from virtually any flat surface-no runways or deepwater ports required.
It can carry over 10 tons of cargo, more than 100 passengers, or advanced surveillance equipment for persistent intelligence missions.
And while it cruises at a modest 80 miles per hour, it’s not built for speed; it’s built for endurance and sustainability. It can remain airborne for up to five days, offering unmatched loiter time for military surveillance or emergency relief operations in remote areas.
Its low fuel consumption and hybrid-electric propulsion system make it a zero-emissions contender for the future of aviation, offering carbon-friendly alternatives to air and sea freight, regional travel, and defence operations.
From Arctic surveillance to Pacific island hopping, Airlander’s versatility is catching the eye of strategists. Its helium-filled hull produces minimal radar return, its non-turbine engines have low infrared signatures, and it can operate at altitudes safe from small arms and man-portable air defence systems.
How can the Airlander avoid being detected in defence ops?
With its huge twin balloon structure, affectionately referred to in some circles as the ‘flying buttocks,’ the HAV Airlander doesn’t seem like an aircraft that could disappear. Yet, despite its vast size, it’s surprisingly stealthy.
Airlander’s hull has a relatively low radar return as it is constructed from fabric and helium-filled. Its engines are electric, not gas turbines, and therefore have relatively low infrared radiation. They’re also widely spaced, which further reduces the aircraft’s heat signature.
It can fly as high as 20,000 feet, well above the range of small arms fire and most man-portable air defence systems.
“Airlander’s ability to fly, land, and sustain operations in denied, austere, or damaged environments directly addresses the US military’s needs for contested logistics and distributed operations,” says CEO Grundy. “The growing interest in Airlander from the US supports new growth and market opportunities.”
Commercially, it also presents solutions in luxury ecotravel, disaster response, and point-to-point regional mobility, providing a low-carbon option faster than sea freight, yet cleaner than conventional aviation.
HAV’s airship is designed for the new era of aviation
Behind the scenes, HAV is pushing ahead with production planning for the Airlander 10, the first model in the series.
But the design scales easily, and future variants may carry as much as 200 tons. Its modular payload bays can be configured in hours for missions ranging from cargo to communications to ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance).
Critically, maintenance is simplified. Unlike traditional aircraft that require hangars, the Airlander can be serviced at the mast, often in the open, reducing infrastructure demands.
Even integration into conventional airspace is simple. “We’ll fly just like helicopters and light aircraft already do, at different speeds and altitudes than jets, but under the same traffic rules,” says the company official.
A safe, certified, and civil future
HAV is working closely with the UK Civil Aviation Authority to secure type certification for the Airlander, ensuring it meets the same safety standards as any other passenger or cargo aircraft.
Pilots will be specially trained and type-rated, and the aircraft is being engineered to handle a wide range of climates and operational challenges.
The company’s collaborative work with the US Naval Postgraduate School, including digital twin simulations and Arctic mission modelling by the MOVES Institute, shows how digital tools are accelerating defence concept development with civilian innovation.
“Rethinking the Skies” isn’t a slogan; it’s a mission
As aviation grapples with the twin pressures of climate change and contested environments, Airlander’s ascent is more than symbolic. It represents a shift in how we define capability: less speed, more persistence; less fuel, more flexibility.
Whether carrying supplies to a flooded village, floating silently over a surveillance zone, or offering a champagne view of Iceland’s waterfalls, Airlander is forcing the world to ask: What do we really need our aircraft to do?
The answer may well be rising gently, silently, and sustainably above the clouds.
What is a hybrid aircraft?
A hybrid aircraft derives its lift from a combination of aerodynamic lift (like an aeroplane), lifting gases (like an airship) and vectored thrust (similar to a helicopter).
Airlander generates up to 40% of its lift from aerodynamics by the passage of air over the hull and the remainder from buoyant lift from the helium.
At lower speed and closer to the ground, vectoring engine power is used to provide additional lift and manoeuvrability for take-off, landing and ground handling.
How is Airlander different from earlier Hydrogen airships?
The lifting gas offsets the weight of the aircraft, meaning that less energy is required to keep it aloft. Like an airship, this means that it can carry a lot of payload, burn very little fuel and fly for a long time.
The use of aerodynamic lift means that Airlander can generate more or less lift as required. Unlike an airship, it is heavier-than-air.
It can therefore stay in place on the ground while it is loaded, unloaded, fuelled and maintained, meaning that it requires little or no expensive, fixed infrastructure.
In this way, Airlander combines the efficiency, capability and environmental friendliness of an airship with the practicality of a normal aircraft.
Airlander minimises the need for expensive ground infrastructure to operate the aircraft in remote places, while enabling safe, quiet, efficient and capable flight.
Who will fly the HAV Airlander?
Airlander pilots will require an Airship Commercial Pilot License, abbreviated to CPL(As), plus an Airlander Type Rating. A CPL is required for any flying on any aircraft for which a pilot is paid.
HAV has been running training sessions in a simulator to understand what flying the Airlander is like. According to the company, “these sessions confirm that flying the Airlander is different from other aircraft, but not more difficult.”
Orders have been made for the aircraft, with over £1.4 billion ($1.9 bn) in pre-orders secured. Notable is an order from Air Nostrum, which is set to be the commercial launch operator for the aircraft.
Above all, how safe is it?
The company assures that Airlander is designed and manufactured to the same standards of safety as every other aircraft.
Airlander will have a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) type certificate, and they are approved by the CAA to design and build aircraft. Equally, in operation, its operators will be subject to the same regulations as apply to other aircraft.
Airlander has been designed to operate in a wide range of operating temperatures to allow worldwide operation. This includes conditions where icing might occur.
