The world's largest aircraft is set to go into full production.
It's over 90 meters-long and goes by the name.... the "Airlander 10."
Lee Seung-jae reports.
The prototype for the Airlander 10 first took off for test flights in 2016,... and despite a few hiccups here and there,... it proved to be successful.
The world's largest aircraft is now grounded after its final successful testing,... as the firm behind the aircraft, Hybrid Air Vehicle received Production Organization Approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
The 92-meter long Airlander 10 is a hybrid of a blimp, helicopter and plane.... and it's designed to stay aloft for days at a time.
It uses less fuel than a plane, but tests show it's able to carry heavier loads than conventional airships,... not to mention having less of an impact on the environment.
"The idea was to make a very efficient, modern aircraft that used the benefit of having helium as the lifting gas within that aircraft. Nobody had done that before. The engineers made an investigation and they came up with this design. What it does now, and will do, is fly, point to point, a bit like a giant helicopter, taking bigger loads, longer distances, cheaper, safer and crucially, without the same damage to the environment."
It's hoped the full commercial model will take to the skies some time in the early 2020s.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
