The obsession with the “world’s largest” of a particular thing continues, and this time around, it would be the HAV 304 Airlander that will carry the distinction of being the largest aircraft in the world. I guess even the Airbus A380 does not have a shoutout at all in this hat. The huge size of the HAV 304 Airlander does not make it an automatic enemy of Greenpeace, as it has been touted to be green and efficient. After all, it is a hybrid mode of transportation, is it not? The promotional video that you can see above will certainly give you a sense of foreboding as the HAV 304 Airlander flies over the plains, blotting out the sun in the process. In fact, it is touted to be able to fly for up to three weeks, measure a whopping 300 feet in length and does not need any kind of airport for it to take off. In comparison, the Airbus A380 measures 238.6 feet in length.
Apart from that, it can also land on water, sand, or ice. This leads to the question that everyone would then ask – just what kind of practical application will we see the HAV 304 Airlander in? Hybrid Air Vehicles’ technical director claims that “you can put 7 or 8 tons of surveillance equipment on board”, which drops a hint that this might be another eye in the sky tool.
Filed in . Read more about Science.