The American company Collins Aerospace has completed the design and started manufacturing an electric motor for the Airlander 10 aircraft - the largest aircraft in the world. According to Hybrid Air Vehicles, the engine power is 500 kilowatts. Its flight qualification tests are scheduled for 2023.
Airlander 10 has been developed since the mid-2000s. At first, the ship was intended for the American army, from which the military had to conduct long-term surveillance in the air. The first flight of the Airlander 10 took place in 2012, and soon after that the project was closed. The prototype of the device was bought by the British company Hybrid Air Vehicles and continued development in Europe. Since then, the Airlander 10 has made six more flights, some of which ended in an accident .
Externally, the Airlander 10 is similar to an airship, but belongs to the class of heavier-than-air aircraft. The ship has gas volumes with helium, but they create only a part of the lifting force, and without the help of electric motors it will not get off the ground. The length of the Airlander 10 is 92 meters, and the width is 43.5 meters. The vessel can carry ten tons of cargo and stay in the air for up to five days. Its cruising speed is 148 kilometers per hour.
The basic version of the largest ship in the world is equipped with four turbodiesel engines, with a capacity of 350 horsepower each. These engines drive propellers, in which the shaft is connected to the motor generators. The latter partially feed the on-board systems of the airship. But most of the on-board equipment's electricity needs are covered by a diesel generator.
The project to develop an electric propulsion system for the Airlander 10 started in 2019. It is designed for three years. First, electric motors are planned to replace the front two diesel engines. They can be switched on simultaneously with the remaining diesel engines in the tail section for faster flight, and it will be possible to switch to a fully electric mode.
On June 29, the American company Collins Aerospace announced the start of manufacturing an electric motor for the Airlander 10 with a capacity of 500 kilowatts. Its flight qualification tests are scheduled for 2023. In 2025, two such engines will replace the two front engines of the aircraft, and in 2030 — the remaining tail engines. The electric motor is designed and tested in the UK.
In addition to Hybrid Air Vehicles, other companies are also developing hybrid aircraft. Earlier we wrote about a flying saucer with an H-Aero wing — a prototype of a passenger ship that combines the properties of an airplane and an airship.
Vasilisa Chernyavtseva
