US DoD’s Operational Energy Office extends partnership with HAV

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  • Hybrid Air Vehicles extends its collaborative research with the U.S. Department of Defense into the second year, focusing on zero-emissions logistics and advanced energy-efficient solutions.
  • The second-year funded contract will examine the full electrification of Airlander with hydrogen fuel-cell technology, and how Airlander could reduce operational energy for the US DoD.
  • Successful first-year evaluations of Airlander 10 proved the benefits of Airlander in a range of defence roles, and paves the way for research into the next generations of larger Airlander aircraft.

Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Operational Energy Office have announced the extension of their collaborative research contract into its second year.

The extension underscores the success of the first year and the shared commitment to enhancing mobility resilience and flexibility in support of distributed maritime operations and expeditionary warfighting.

The contract, as part of a three-year initiative, leverages the pioneering Airlander aircraft to explore new horizons in zero-emissions logistics support. The project, backed by the US Department of Defense Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund (OECIF), focuses on advancing energy-efficient solutions across defence platforms. Airlander is designed for efficiency. By leveraging powerful technologies, including light weight advanced composites and fabrics, lifting body aerodynamics and thrust vectoring, together with large payload spaces, it has the ability to land large and heavy payloads away from airfields and fixed infrastructure, transforming defence logistics operations.

Capitalising on this momentum, HAV will concentrate research in the second year on scaling the electric propulsion architecture for Airlander 50.

Stemming from a thesis by students at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), the collaboration has since evolved into a research and development contract. NPS has been instrumental in conducting simulations and modelling to showcase not only the feasibility of Airlander, but also the advantages it can bring to warfare.

In the first year of the project, Airlander 10 underwent rigorous analysis of forecast performance in roles such as maritime logistics support. These assessments, conducted in close coordination with operational end users, have been pivotal in defining mission profiles, use cases, and concepts of operations (CONOPS) for Airlander.

Similar assessment of the Airlander 50, with a 50+ tonne payload, will be applied in the next phase of the work. HAV will examine the benefits and use-cases of Airlander 50, focusing on logistics missions meeting US DoD requirements.

“Throughout our first years’ work on OECIF, we have validated that hybrid aircraft enable a paradigm shift in logistics support in contested areas. As a true multi-domain platform, there are significant direct and indirect effects that enable operational solutions in a way not before seen. It is clear that innovative platforms such as hybrid aircraft offer unique opportunities to expedite hydrogen adoption and the path to zero-emissions whilst retaining inimitable capabilities. I am excited for the opportunities the second year of work will unlock.” – Captain Ben Cohen, Project Principle Investigator

“The extension of this contract is a testament to our shared commitment to transforming defence logistics, as well as making them sustainable, and underscoring the US DoD’s dedication to optimising operational energy use. Airlander is designed from first principles to allow customers to rethink the skies. It can provide unique mission capabilities, low-emissions and low fuel use in military operations. We’re extremely proud to lead the charge with the US DoD in this critical area and look forward to collaborating with them further.” – Tom Grundy, CEO, Hybrid Air Vehicles

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