Aircraft
Hybrid Air Vehicles Tests Engines Ahead of First Flight
UK government funding is helping mature the huge, innovative hybrid design
A ceremonial inauguration for the engine test rig, at the Hybrid Air Vehicles hangar in Cardington, UK. [Photo: Chris Pocock]
A ceremonial inauguration for the engine test rig, at the Hybrid Air Vehicles hangar in Cardington, UK. [Photo: Chris Pocock]

Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) has begun testing the powerplants of its Airlander 10, the 300-foot-long airship-cum-aircraft that the company hopes to return to flight later this year. It previously flew once in 2012 as the U.S. Army’s Long-Endurance Multi-Purpose Vehicle (LEMV). The British company is making some detail changes to the 325-hp duct-mounted diesel engines, four of which power the air vehicle, before it flies again.