For many years, the zeppelin played an insignificant role within airfreight. This could, however, change soon because the American aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin and the British Straightline Aviation (SLA) are developing and testing a version that is able to load 20 tons of cargo and can even land on rough terrain - the so-called hybrid zeppelin.
The advantage: The zeppelin does not require additional infrastructure, but can land on almost every available surface and even on water. Mark Dorey, one of the founders of SLA, explains that the hybrid zeppelin can thus easily reach remote places without infrastructure and overcrowded cities. Furthermore, the zeppelin is faster than a container ship and can even keep up with a truck in terms of speed.
Rob Binns, CEO of Hybrid Enterprises, predicts hat already in 2018 the first hybrid zeppelin could be used for commercial traffic. This is because the hybrid cargo zeppelin shall be used worldwide to carry goods safely and efficiently from A to B.
