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 (Hollister, Calif., U.S. and Kemble, U.K.) and  (HAV, Bedford, U.K.) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner on the development of a hydrogen-electric variant of HAV’s Airlander 10.

Airlander 10 is a hybrid aircraft that uses a combination of aerostatic lift, aerodynamic lift and vectored thrust, with a 10-ton payload and 4,000 nautical mile maximum range. The initial Airlander 10 will be powered by four diesel engines, providing an emissions reduction of up to 90% when compared with comparable capacity aircraft. Integrating ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric propulsion will deliver full zero-emission in-flight operations carrying 100+ passengers, as well as reduced maintenance costs.

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ZeroAvia reports that its first generation 600-kilowatt hydrogen-electric powertrain, ZA600, has already passed several regulatory milestones, secured hundreds of pre-orders and signed up launch customer airlines who are working to embed the system into more traditional fixed-wing aircraft for lower cost and more environmentally friendly flight. The company has conducted flight testing of a prototype on board a 19-seat aircraft.

HAV says that Airlander 10 has ample space for hydrogen storage in its hull, making it an ideal option for adopting the first generation of certified hydrogen technologies that are already close to market entry — such as hydrogen storage, low-temperature PEM fuel cell power generation and electric propulsion systems that are well advanced toward certification. This partnership will build on HAV’s earlier R&D work to explore electric propulsion for Airlander.

As part of the agreement, the companies will also study the potential applicability of ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric technology to future larger aircraft developed by HAV, and assess planned Airlander 10 operations to define the hydrogen fuel infrastructure requirements.

“ZeroAvia has led the development of hydrogen-electric propulsion systems and made impressive progress commercially, technically and with regulators,” says Tom Grundy, CEO of HAV. “Our intention has always been to offer our customers a fully zero-emission variant of the Airlander, for efficiency and environmental reasons, and this partnership with ZeroAvia will help us in this direction.” 

“Airlander is another exciting airframe for line-fit of our powertrains as it can open up a whole new market in air travel due to its range, efficiency and ability to operate from almost anywhere,” says Val Miftakhov, founder and CEO of ZeroAvia. “Like ZeroAvia, HAV is an aerospace innovator with exciting manufacturing and growth plans for the U.K. that can deliver hundreds of well-paid jobs in different regions in the U.K. These are two businesses expanding U.K. footprints and manufacturing plans, with a broad array of strong use cases, including in the defense arena.”