Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander 10

"The Flying Buttocks" redirects here. For the pigbutt worm, see Chaetopterus pugaporcinus.

Airlander 10
The Airlander 10 moored at Cardington Airfield on 6 August 2017
General information
Other name(s)The Flying Bum[a]
The Flying Buttocks[b]
TypeHybrid airship
National originUnited Kingdom
ManufacturerHybrid Air Vehicles
StatusPrototype
Number built1
History
First flight7 August 2012 (as HAV 304)
17 August 2016 (as Airlander 10)[1]
Developed fromHAV 304

The Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander 10 (originally developed as the HAV 304; nicknamed "The Flying Bum"[a][c]) is a hybrid airship designed and built by British manufacturer Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV). Comprising a helium airship with auxiliary wing and tail surfaces, it flies using both aerostatic and aerodynamic lift and is powered by four diesel engine-driven ducted propellers.

The HAV 304 was originally built for the United States Army's Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) programme. Its maiden flight took place in 2012 at Lakehurst, New Jersey, in the US. In 2013, the LEMV project was cancelled by the US Army.

HAV reacquired the airship and brought it back to Cardington Airfield in England. It was reassembled and modified for civilian use, and in this form was redesignated the Airlander 10. The modified aircraft completed design certification testing before being written off [2] when it came loose from its moorings in a high wind on 18 November 2017 at Cardington Airfield.

Production of the Airlander 10 has been pushed back multiple times, and deliveries are currently mooted for 2028.[3][4][5]


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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Guarino2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "World's longest aircraft collapses". BBC News. 18 November 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  3. ^ "Airships for city hops could cut flying's CO2 emissions by 90%". 21 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Airlander 10-Mobility". Hybrid Air Vehicles. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Airlander 10-Mobility". Hybrid Air Vehicles. Retrieved 12 June 2024.