Lockheed Martin now has an “exclusive reseller” to market its Hybrid Airship to commercial customers and has completed all the required planning for FAA certification for the aircraft, according to LM Aeronautics executive v-p Orlando Carvalho.
At a media briefing on Tuesday here at Le Bourget, Carvalho signed an agreement with Rob Binns, CEO of Hybrid Enterprises, a company created recently and staffed by veterans of the air cargo and logistics industries. But Carvalho confirmed to AIN that Lockheed will not build its first full-scale Hybrid Airship until a customer is secured.
“We’ve invested more than 20 years to develop the technology, prove the performance and ensure there are compelling economics for the Hybrid Airship,” Carvalho said. The work has been done at the Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, where Lockheed flew a one-third-scale demonstrator in 2006. “We think it’s pretty cool,” said Binns. “This is the most transforming product I have seen in all my 30 years aviation experience.”
He told AIN that the likely first customer would be an existing air cargo carrier, perhaps prompted by a requirement for remote access from the oil and gas exploration industry. But a leasing company or a start-up company might be willing to invest, he said. The Hybrid Airship has been designed to haul 21-metric ton loads into hard-to-reach areas without any transport infrastructure. Hence the marketing tagline that Lockheed has adopted: “The Road Not Needed.”
The airship’s air cushion landing system (ACLS) is a key aspect of the Lockheed design, allowing the vehicle to land on water or unprepared fields, as well as be secured to the ground. But it also has “the most sophisticated fly-by-wire and flight control system seen on an airship to date,” Binns claimed. He also noted the modern avionics and navigation systems, adding, “It’s green and sustainable, and there’s no big investment needed in handling infrastructure. You can back a truck right up to it.”
During Lockheed’s long development journey on the Hybrid Airship, it was proposed more than once to meet military transport and surveillance requirements. But Carvalho confirmed that Lockheed “is not currently focused” on defense applications.
The company could deliver a Hybrid Airship in 2018, he added. AIN understands that Lockheed has calculated a cost of several hundred million dollars to build, certify and prepare the Hybrid Airship for production.