From the world’s largest airship to electric buses: Composites drive the future of transport

Exel Composites is collaborating with French airship manufacturer and operator FLYING WHALES to develop thin-wall carbon fibre tubes for an airship. The airship will deliver up to 60 tons of cargo to remote and difficult-to-reach locations around the world. This will also
cut emissions compared with land and air transportation. 

The composites producer will provide R&D support during the airship's rigid structure prototyping phase, developing and manufacturing the estimated 80km of carbon fibre tubing needed to make this concept a reality. 

FLYING WHALES is the
designer of the LCA60T, a 200m-long vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) airship that uses helium lifting technology to lift its weight and cargo capacity. The airship will function like an airborne crane, carrying the cargo and transporting it to the customer. It is designed
to reduce the reliance on air and land transport and unlock bottlenecks at shipping ports.

The airship could be used to transport trees when conveying lumber, wind turbine blades to utility stations, and, most surprisingly, an entire portable hospital, which could bring universal
healthcare to some of the world's most remote areas.

"With this airship being one of the largest ever developed, the frame needs to be able to distribute the structure’s entire load," explained Guillaume Klein, Business Development Manager at Exel Composites.

Read the full article in DPA's June 2024 issue