
The world's largest aircraft has been unveiled for the first time since being fully assembled in the UK.

The 302ft (92m) long Airlander 10 - part plane, part airship - was floated in a First World War hangar in Bedfordshire.

Photographers struggled to capture the whole length of the aircraft, which is around 50ft (15m) longer than the biggest passenger jets, ahead of its inaugural flight later this year.

The world's largest aircraft has been unveiled for the first time since being fully assembled in the UK. The 302ft (92m) long Airlander 10 - part plane, part airship - was floated in a First World War hangar in Bedfordshire. The craft's fully assembled motors and fins are pictured

Photographers struggled to capture the whole length of the aircraft (pictured), which is around 50ft (15m) longer than the biggest passenger jets, ahead of its inaugural flight later this year

The ship was first developed for the US government as a long-endurance surveillance aircraft but it fell foul of defence cutbacks.

British firm Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) launched a campaign to return the Airlander 10 to the skies in May 2015 and it will now carry out ground testing before 200 hours of test flights begin later this year.

The ship is being converted to provide business and leisure flights in a hangar in Cardington, Bedfordshire.

The first giant fin was attached to the ship, officially called the 'Airlander 10', last month according to Hybrid Air Vehicles who is constructing the aircraft, and now the remaining fin and parts have been attached.

The fin, measuring 9 x 11 metre, was secured to the hull using a series of cables and clamps. If you were to lay two tail fins side-by-side, they would comfortably cover the playing area of a tennis court.

The vessel was filled with 1.3 million cubic feet of helium - enough to fill 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools - in a test run last October.

Yet despite its impressive size and design, which is hoped to reinvigorate interest in using airships, the vehicle is attracting more attention for its appearance.

Some have hailed the Airlander as the future of air travel because, unlike conventional aeroplanes, it emits little pollution and is not noisy enough to disturb people on the ground.

Professor Chris Atkin, who will become president of the Royal Aeronautical Society in May, described the project as 'absolutely fantastic'. After sitting in the cockpit of a flight simulator developed for Airlander 10 (pictured), Mr Atkin predicted the aircraft could be used by passengers on pleasure flights and to get to locations that are hard to reach

The October tests caused a stir on Twitter, with many spotting the airship's rather unfortunate resemblance to a human bottom.

In one case a head-on image of the airship has been altered to include a picture of Kim Kardashian, who is famous for her derriere.

The craft has already been tested with a successful hover test, with the hull being filled with helium and floated outside the aircraft hanger in November, but this will be the first test once the engines are successfully attached.

The date of the test flight has not been announced but the craft will be restricted to a 70-mile (112km) radius. If successful, an aircraft based on this prototype will go into production.

The 300ft-long (93 metres) shipped was originally developed as part of a US Army project but was scrapped by military bosses

The fin, measuring 9 x 11 metre, was secured to the hull using a series of cables and clamps. If you were to lay two tail fins side-by-side, they would comfortably cover the playing area of a tennis court. Pictured on the right is the engine test rig

During last year's 'floating' test, the craft was attached to four fork-lift trucks, each with a two-tonne block of cement to stop it being carried away, and driven the entire length of the hangar. It has been three years since work began on the Airlander 10 (pictured)

During last year's 'floating' test, the craft was attached to four fork-lift trucks, each with a two-tonne block of cement to stop it being carried away, and driven the entire length of the hangar.

In its new position nearer the doors of the hangar, the £80 million ($1.1 billion) aircraft is now being fitted with its engine, fins and 'mission module' ahead of its first proper flight.

The craft did carry out a test flight in 2012, but next month's take-off will be the first under the hybrid aircraft's latest specifications.

Airlander is the largest aircraft in the world, bigger even than the Airbus A380 - but would be dwarfed by the historic zeppelins developed in Germany during the 1930s.

Airlander (pictured) is the largest aircraft in the world, bigger even than the Airbus A380 - but would be dwarfed by the historic zeppelins developed in Germany during the 1930s

The first giant fin was attached to the ship, officially called the 'Airlander 10', last month (pictured) according to Hybrid Air Vehicles who is constructing the aircraft, and now the remaining fin and parts have been attached. Two fins could comfortably cover the playing area of a tennis court, explained the designers

It produces 60 per cent of its lift aerostatically, by being lighter-than-air, and 40 per cent aerodynamically, by being wing-shaped, as well as having the ability to rotate its engines to provide an additional 25 per cent of thrust up or down.

This means the Airlander can hover as well as land on almost any surface, including ice, desert and water.

It will be able to stay in the air for two weeks at a time, cruising at more than 90mph (144km/h), and travel at heights of up to 20,000ft (6,100 metres) with a 10-tonne cargo.

Some have hailed the Airlander as the future of air travel because, unlike conventional aeroplanes, it emits little pollution and is not noisy enough to disturb people on the ground.

TWO GIANTS OF THE AIR: HOW DOES THE AIRLANDER SHAPE UP TO THE DOOMED HINDENBURG ZEPPELIN? Length: Volume of gas: Type of gas used: Cruising speed: Cruising altitude: Number of passengers: AIRLANDER 302ft 1.3million cubic feet Helium 92mph Up to 20,000ft Up to 48 HINDENBURG 804ft 7million cubic feet Hydrogen 76mph 650ft Up to 72 Advertisement

The Airlander can hover as well as land on almost any surface, including ice, desert and water. Pictured is the fin being attached

Its unique shape has caused a stir on social networks, however. One tweet, by site Sputnik (pictured left), said: 'The world's largest aircraft #airlander, was the subject of ridicule'. Other tweets have been quick to point out the craft's resemblance to a derrière (pictured right)

The Airlander produces 60 per cent of its lift aerostatically, by being lighter-than-air, and 40 per cent aerodynamically, by being wing-shaped, as well as having the ability to rotate its engines to provide an additional 25 per cent of thrust up or down. This means the Airlander can hover as well as land on almost any surface, including ice, desert and water

In its new position nearer the doors of its hangar, the £80 million aircraft (pictured) has now been fitted with its engine, fins and 'mission module'. The date of the test flight has not been announced but the craft will be restricted to a 70-mile (112km) radius. If successful, an aircraft based on this prototype will go into production

HOW THE AIRLANDER GETS ITS LIFT Airlander is the largest aircraft in the world, bigger even than the Airbus A380 - but would be dwarfed by the historic zeppelins developed in Germany during the 1930s. It produces 60 per cent of its lift aerostatically, by being lighter-than-air, and 40 per cent aerodynamically, by being wing-shaped, as well as having the ability to rotate its engines to provide an additional 25 per cent of thrust up or down. This means the Airlander can hover as well as land on almost any surface, including ice, desert and water. It will be able to stay in the air for two weeks at a time, cruising at more than 90mph (144km/h), and travel at heights of up to 20,000ft (6,100 metres) with a 10-tonne cargo. Advertisement

It can take off and land vertically like a helicopter, which means it does not need a long runway to operate.

British firm Hybrid Air Vehicles was originally one of the contractors developing the vessel for the US Army under a $500million programme scrapped in 2012.

The company then bought the rights to develop the Airlander for commercial use - including use as a passenger aircraft that will carry 48 people at a time.

The vessel will also offer business services such as coastguard duties, military and civil surveillance, filming and academic research.

Engineers are hoping eventually to launch a sleeper service which could travel overnight between major cities for business customers.

Among the wealthy figures backing the project is Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson, who has invested around £250,000 ($360,000) in the Airlander, as well as Carol Vorderman.

In its military incarnation, the aircraft previously embarked on a test flight in New Jersey, but the lift-off on 31 October was the first time the civilian version had left the ground.

In a blog post, Hybrid Air Vehicles explained: 'Already this month there have been a number of major attachments under the hull in preparation for the forthcoming First Flight of Airlander, beginning with the fuel module at the rear of the aircraft, followed by the payload beam, (which will support bulky external cargo) and finally, the cockpit and payload bay (which we term the Mission Module) were attached this week.'

The craft did carry out a test flight in 2012 in New Jersey (pictured) but next month's take-off will be the first under the hybrid aircraft's latest specifications. Some have hailed the Airlander as the future of air travel because, unlike conventional aeroplanes, it emits little pollution and is not noisy enough to disturb people on the ground

The vessel will also offer business services such as coastguard duties, military and civil surveillance, filming and academic research. Engineers are hoping eventually to launch a sleeper service which could travel overnight between major cities for business customers. An artist's impression of how the Airlander will look when it is ready for long-haul flights across the world is pictured

Unlike traditional airships, the Airlander has no internal structure but it becomes rigid through being filled with helium, at just above atmospheric pressure.

The super-strong hull material was designed by Warwick Mills and assembled by ILC Dover, the company that makes Nasa spacesuits.

It uses a woven fabric for strength on the inside, and a Tedlar layer for protection on the outside, around a mylar film to retain the helium.

Tedlar is used to lower how flammable the coatings on planes are, and is also used in raincoats and metal sheeting.

'The very latest materials, which are both strong and light, are used throughout the manufacture of our cutting-edge Airlander 10, ranging from the bespoke hull fabric to the mainly carbon composite Mission Module, Fuel Module, Ducts and engine support battens,' continued the firm.

'We produce less noise, less pollution, have a lower carbon footprint than conventional aircraft, and have longer endurance and better cargo-carrying capacity than any other flying vehicle.'

The Airlander's power comes from four 350hp, four-litre V8 diesel engines - two mounted at the front and two at the back.

With a length of 302ft (93 metres), a width of 143ft (44 metres) and a height of 85ft (26 metres), it is officially the world's largest aircraft - the biggest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, is only 240ft (73 metres) long.

However, the Hindenburg - the German zeppelin that crashed in New Jersey in 1937 with the loss of 35 lives - was three times longer than the Airlander.

The Airlander's base at Cardington is the historic home of the Royal Airship Works, set up in 1919 to build R101 airships in a failed attempt to damage German dominance of the industry.

The vessel (pictured) was filled with 1.3million cubic feet of helium - enough to fill 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools -in a test run last October and now the engines and fins are being fitted ahead of next month's flight

The Airlander's base at Cardington (pictured) is the historic home of the Royal Airship Works, set up in 1919 to build R101 airships in a failed attempt to damage German dominance of the industry