Hybrid Air Vehicles

Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd. has evolved the humble airship into an aircraft with significant commercial potential, a game changer that will in the near future become a third alternative alongside more traditional fixed and rotary wing aircraft. Drawing on a combination of airship and fixed-wing aircraft aerodynamic benefits, the product offers an environmentally-friendly mode of transport, with the flexibility of a helicopter while offering the range and operating costs of a fixed-wing aircraft. In June 2010, Hybrid Air Vehicles, along with its partner Northrop Grumman, signed a $500 million deal with the US Army for the supply of three surveillance craft. The first of these is nearing completion. This was followed by an agreement with Canadian operator, Discovery Air, for the supply of multiple 50-tonne heavy-lift air vehicles. Both the surveillance and the heavy-lift products are designed in the UK. The vehicle currently in production is 80% sourced (by value) in the UK and is a thoroughly British product.