In the near future, airships may well see a revival in Russia as a form of air transport. The company Aeronova is actively working on the NOVA-2 project, its technical director Fyodor Konstantinov said.
Production space for manufacturing envelopes has already been set up, and Aeronova has purchased a machine-tool fleet, he noted.
Such an airship will lift 1.5 tonnes of weight and can be used as personal air transport, for sightseeing tours, or as an air taxi. Gondolas and tail assemblies for it are also already being produced.
Yury Shcherbakov, senior lecturer at the MAI Department of Aircraft Design and Certification, noted that the airship should not compete with the established air transport systems based on airplanes and helicopters. Its task is to complement them by operating in those areas where such aircraft are inefficient.
Modern airships with envelopes made of synthetic materials and swivel propellers guarantee high safety and passenger comfort.
It is worth noting that the revival of interest in aeronautical craft is linked to the need to develop the Arctic and Russia's northern territories, where developed airfield infrastructure is absent.
Airships have a unique advantage: the ability to hover for long periods and no need for specially prepared runways.
For example, the NOVA-2 project fits into the global trend toward "green" aviation and the search for energy-efficient ways to transport cargo and passengers over short and medium distances.
Read more on the topic:
- Breakthrough in aerostatics: an unmanned airship will be created in Moscow
- Roselektronika showed the production process of modern airships and aerostats
- An unmanned airship will be launched in Novosibirsk
