Airships to cater for the North

It seems that a British manufacturer will be working on a fleet of airships that will cater for Yellowknife’s Discovery Air in order for it to supply remote communities and enterprises in the North. The rather futuristic giant blimps (that has a throwback to the past for sure) will hail from Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), and they won’t come cheap at $40 million each. Discovery Air Innovations from Quebec announced so after signing their agreement with HAV.

How does the aircraft get up to the air? Well, it relies on a mix of non-flammable helium and air power in order to fly, allowing it to land on just about any surface to boot. With the ability to stash up to 50 tonnes of cargo, you can just imagine this puppy delivering crucial supplies to mining camps and remote communities.

When it comes to bringing supplies to the North, it has proven to be quite the logistical challenge, especially when the ice roads do not work as intended. An airship is definitely one of the ways to circumvent such issues. Even better is, with the ability to carry all that weight, it can still move at speeds of up to 185 km/h, now how about that?

Edwin Kee
Categories: Transportation