Well over a century since it was invented, the airship (or zeppelin) could be poised for a comeback. Well, almost. German startup Hybrid Airplane Technologies is the company behind a substantially scaled down and nimbler modern alternative – a lighter than air (LTA) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called h-aero.
At first glance, h-aero looks like a large, elliptical balloon, yet it’s much more than that. This unique flight concept combines the qualities of a balloon, helicopter and airplane – drawing from each of their unique advantages to create a lightweight aircraft that delivers speed, endurance and agility.
Csaba Singer, the creator of h-aero and CEO of Hybrid Airplane Technologies, developed h-aero to open up new opportunities for observing and monitoring our planet and improving communication and broadcasting capabilities. Equipped with solar panels on the hull for autonomous, non-stop flight, the UAV can literally float in the stratosphere for hours on end, delivering a more efficient and sustainable alternative to manned surveillance systems and satellites.
“Imagine being able to remotely monitor any place on Earth from the stratosphere around the clock and carry out drought damage measurement and air quality monitoring or support a new era of lower cost and widely accessible internet and communication without burning fuel or creating space debris,” Singer said. “That’s a future we see with h-aero.”
Hybrid Airplane Technologies is bringing its vision to life using the power of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on Cloud and its industry solution experience Reinvent the Sky. As Singer and his team develop the h-aero product family, they’re taking advantage of the platform’s sophisticated CAD functionality as well as the ability to work from a common environment for effective multidisciplinary collaboration.
Read the full story to discover how Hybrid Airplane Technologies plans to handle everything from aircraft design through to production on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on Cloud, taking advantage of a seamless data flow from one stage to the next.
Rebecca Lambert is a skilled content creator and journalist based in the UK. Since she was a young girl, Rebecca has been captivating readers with her words, covering virtually any and every subject matter.