Two European companies have partnered to develop the next generation of large capacity airships – powered by graphene ultracapacitor technology – which could in the future become the dominant way to transport heavy cargo.

French firm Flying Whales has teamed up with Europe’s leading ultracapacitor manufacturer, Skeleton Technologies, to build a 60-ton large capacity airship – or LCA60T – for the global transport market.

The airships will largely be used for industrial applications in France and China.

The main advantage of the LCA60T will be its ability to transport heavy or oversized cargo in its 75m long hold or underslung, at speeds of up to 100kmph, with a range of several thousand kilometres per day.

Filled with helium gas, the rigid structure airship will be capable of winching to pick up and unload cargo while hovering – at a fraction of the cost of a heavy-lift helicopter. As it will not need to make conventional takeoffs and landings, energy consumption via a hybrid electric propulsion system will be low.

Skeleton Technologies will design and build this hybrid propulsion for the LCA60T’s electric power systems. Average operational power is expected to be about 1.5MW, with graphene-based ultracapacitors assisting to cover the additional 2MW peaks for hovering, lifting and stabilisation.

“The airship’s hybrid electric power propulsion delivers a minimal environmental footprint at a fraction of the cost of current solutions, if such solutions even exist,” said Flying Whales CEO Sébastien Bougon.

“A key advantage of the LCA60T,” he added, “is that it will not require an airport or any kind of runway to operate, opening up new markets across the world for industries that require heavy-lift or oversize cargo options, across terrain lacking in infrastructure.”

While the airship is being designed primarily to transport logging timber from remote locations, Bougon noted that this “also means being able to deliver large items like wind turbines and electricity pylons in one piece to the side of a mountain, for example.

“It could also move prefabricated houses or buildings across undeveloped terrain or transport large aircraft components from one supply chain location to the next.”

The airship programme is part of the French Government’s ‘Nouvelle France Industrielle’ plans for future transport, and the country’s forestry agency has already highlighted the need for the airship to extract timber cargo.

Highlighting the importance of the project, Skeleton Technologies CEO Taavi Madiberk said: “The large capacity airship programme is initially focused on addressing the specific industrial requirements for the timber industry in France, but it also has the potential to connect landlocked regions across the world to the global economy.”

And the future looks increasingly global for the programme. Last year Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls were present at the signing of a cooperation and investment framework agreement between Flying Whales and the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (AVIC General) company, which will become a Flying Whales significant shareholder.

Other potential applications could improve freight and logistics in remote parts of Africa, where business development is hindered by a lack of transport infrastructure.

“Airship technology has the potential to be a game changer,” said Madiberk, “assisting economic development for industries constrained by a lack of infrastructure in a carbon-constrained world.”

Industrial production of the LCA60T is expected to commence in 2021.