The flying bum! 300ft-long 'airship' unveiled in Britain is the world's longest aircraft



Known as the HAV304, aircraft is being displayed at hanger in Bedfordshire

It is 300ft (91m) long making it 60ft (18m) longer than the biggest airliners

It can stay in air for 3 weeks and will be vital to delivering humanitarian aid

Its funders have included the Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson



The aircraft, due to fly later this year, is 70 per cent more environmentally friendly than a cargo plane and doesn’t need a runway to take off



At 302ft, it is the world’s longest aircraft. That’s longer than the Airbus A380 airliner and almost as long as Big Ben is high.



But that is not the HAV304’s main claim to fame. It is a hybrid aircraft – part plane and part airship.



It is also almost 30ft (8m) longer than the airlift cargo aircraft Antonov An-225, which was until now the longest aircraft ever built.

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Full of gas: The world's longest aircraft - part airship, plane and helicopter - has been unveiled in Cardington, Bedfordshire. It will be used for surveillance and aid missions... and resembles something very familiar

The world's longest aircraft, which can stay in the air for up to three weeks, has been unveiled. It will be vital in delivering several tonnes of humanitarian aid Does my bum look big in this? The amusingly-shaped aircraft has been funded by the singer in Iron Maiden Useful: It's claimed the unusual craft could be used for surveillance, staying airborne for three weeks at a time

The giant aircraft is being displayed at Cardington in Bedfordshire in the only hangar big enough to accommodate the 113ft (34m) wide and 85ft (26m) high beast.

Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden and a high-profile investor in the aircraft, compared the ship to Thunderbird 2 and described it as a 'game changer.'

'It will be able to cross the Atlantic and launch things right where they need to be,' he told Radio 4’s Today programme.

At 300ft, the aircraft is longer than the biggest airliner, the Airbus A380, which is 239.5ft. It is also almost 30ft (8m) longer than the airlift cargo aircraft Antonov An-225, which was until now the longest aircraft ever built Now that's rock-n-roll! Bruce Dickinson, frontman of the 1980s rock legends Iron Maiden, with the craft So... how does it work? Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson chats with pilot David Burns in the cockpit Flight deck: Bruce Dickinson at the controls of the helium-filled aircraft. It could be used for aid missions

The designers are planning an even bigger version that will eventually be able to carry 50 tonnes at a time Bruce Dickinson (left), lead singer of Iron Maiden, compared the ship to Thunderbird 2 (left) and described the craft as a 'game changer'

'It can reach about 100mph and stay airborne for about three-and-a-half weeks.'

The low carbon ship, known as the HAV304, doesn't require a runway to take off and is thought to be about 70 per cent more environmentally friendly than a cargo plane.

It is due to fly in the UK later this year and is designed to stay airborne for up to three weeks to help with activities such as surveillance, communications and delivering aid.

Created by Hybrid Air Vehicles and first flown in the U.S, the ultra-green HAV304 project has just received a £2.5 million grant from the UK government.

Pictured is the HAV304 arriving at Cardington in December. The aircraft is about 70 per cent more nvironmentally friendly than a cargo plane and doesn't need a runway to take off

Cardington hangar, which now houses the aircraft, was built 100 years ago and is where they built the ill-fated airship, R101 (pictured), in the 1920s

HAV304: THE TECHNICAL DATA Volume: 1,340,000 ft³ ( 38,000 m³) Length: 302 ft (92m)

Width: 143 ft (43.5m)

Height: 85 ft (26m)

Endurance: 5 days manned Altitude: up to 20,000 ft (6,100 m) Speed: 92 mph (148 km/hr)

Weight: 44,100 lbs (20,000 kg)

Payload capacity: 22,050 lbs (10,000 kg)



It looks like giant airship but it has a unique aerodynamic shape that means it can also create lift just like an aeroplane wing. The cambered shape provides up to 40 per cent of the vehicle’s lift.

This allowed engineers make the machine heavier than air, removing the need for crew to hang onto ropes to hold it down. A number of ballonets fore and aft in each of the hulls provide pressure control.

The aircraft is powered by four 350 hp, four litre V8 direct injection, turbocharged diesel engines. Two engines mounted forward on the hull and two on the stern of the hull for cruise operation.

The plan is that the HAV304 will eventually lead to the development of the Airlander 50, which would be able to transport 50 tonnes of freight.

HAV304 Hull and Mission Module arriving at Cardington. Hybrid Air Vehicles plans to produce around 10 a year for the next four or five years

The huge aircraft combines the best of aeroplane, airship and helicopter design. HAV believes there could be a world market for between 600 and 1,000 of these aircraft.

For the time being, the company plans to produce around 10 a year for the next four or five years. This is expected to lead to the creation of 1,800 jobs in the Bedfordshire area.

‘The growing aerospace sector has the potential to generate thousands of new jobs and billions of pounds to the UK economy in contracts,’ business secretary Vince Cable said today.

‘That is why so much effort is being put in by government and industry to ensure we stay ahead of the competition and build on our strong position as second in the world for aerospace.’

He added: ‘As part our long-term industrial strategy we are jointly funding £2 billion of research and development into the next generation of quieter, more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly planes.

‘That includes backing projects like HAV's innovative low-carbon aircraft which can keep us at the cutting edge of new technology. Here is a British company that has the potential to lead the world in its field.’

Cardington hangar, which now houses the aircraft, was built 100 years ago and is where they built the ill-fated airship, R101, in the 1920s.

The R101 was twice as long as the hybrid air vehicle and had a dining room and lounge on board. However, it was engulfed by fire after it crashed in France in 1930.