A hybrid airship is an aircraft that combines the technologies found in conventional aircrafts and airships in starting and maintaining its flight. It will have the large airbag within a cylindrical body so it looks like a conventional airship, but it will also have wings and rudders like a regular airplane.

Airships, Balloons and Conventional Aircrafts

An airship (better known as a dirigible or blimp) is an aircraft that uses a large inflatable compartment or chamber which is filled with a gas. The gas (usually hydrogen or helium) used in inflating the chamber less dense than the air found in the atmosphere. Physically, the airship looks like a regular balloon. However, balloons and airships differ in one important aspect: while balloons need an external power source to rise, airships can go up in the air without any external power boost. Since the gas in the airbag is less dense than the air, the airship has a natural lift. Only steering is required to direct the airship to its destination.

An airship is different from a conventional aircraft in that its main source of lift is the hydrogen or helium gas it contains. A regular aircraft uses its engines to power up and achieve lift and it maintains its flight through the help of its wings and aerodynamically streamlined body.

Operational ConceptHybrid Airship

A hybrid airship uses its airship characteristics, particularly the light gas in its chamber to provide majority of the lift it requires. The aerodynamic design of the hybrid airship body makes use of the flow of air and provides the remaining lift.

The dual nature of a hybrid airship provides its main advantages over other types of aircraft. A conventional airship is aerostatic. It is, in a way, nothing more than a very large balloon – release it from its moorings on the ground and it will float (or 'fly') right away; at the same time, the slightest breeze on the ground makes for difficult handling even when tied down. This implies that a large ground crew is necessary to handle the airship during takeoff and landing.

A hybrid airship, on the other hand, acts like an airplane on landing and takeoff – turn the engines off and the hybrid airship goes down and, when on ground, stays down. Turn the engines on, taxi out to a runway and it will take off like a conventional airplane.

However, it has the aerostatic advantage from the light gas that its chamber contains. The gas makes the hybrid craft lighter than a comparable conventional aircraft. This means that less power is needed to 'lift' the airship and keep it in flight. Thus, fuel efficiency is assured. It needs less fuel than a conventional airplane or jet, both of which require massive amounts of fuel (specialized fuel at that for jet engines) for a single long-distance trip.

However, the hybrid aircraft's design necessitates a large body to allow for the gas containment chamber. This means that hybrid airships are much slower than conventional aircrafts.