David A. Kolman, editor, Fleet Maintenance

Kolman’s Komments: We’re going to have to enlarge the shop

July 25, 2016
Hybrid delivery airships.

Trucking will soon have a competitor for freight, particularly for remote cargo delivery.

That competitor is: hybrid delivery airships.

The helium-filled airships, which measure nearly a football field long, will be able to carry 20 tons of cargo to remote places without roads.

Lockheed Martin has been pitching its Hybrid Airships as a cheaper, more environmentally friendly way to transportation heavy lift supplies and equipment to remote operating sites.

The airships require little to no fixed ground infrastructure and can launch, land and be serviced on unimproved surfaces using an innovative air cushion landing system.

Engines guide the airship into position. On its belly are wheel-like structures that spin to let it either hover or "grip" a surface.

This provides stability in windy conditions for loading and unloading supplies, making it much easier to operate than a lighter-than-air machine, according to Lockheed.

The first delivery of the Hybrid Airship is scheduled for 2018.

A video on the airship can be found here.

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