An aircraft named ATLANT 300 will be able to carry 165 tons of cargo and passengers a distance of 1,250 miles. This aircraft will change the global transportation industry, especially the logistics of accessing rural areas and the way we transport oversized cargoes. Needless to say, many industrial companies and humanitarian aid organizations are waiting for this new development to take flight. And it’s happening in the town of Rosh HaAyin, in the Tel Aviv area.
Atlas LTA, a newly established Israeli company, develops a family of innovative aircraft named ATLANT. The biggest model, ATLANT 300, would be the size of a regulation soccer field: 200 meters long, 100 meters wide, and 50 meters high. It will carry 165 tons of cargo A distance of 1,250 miles at a speed of 75 mph, in all weather conditions.
The other two models are ATLANT 30 and ATLANT 100, which are smaller and can carry 18 tons and 60 tons respectively. Those airships are the game-changers the world of air cargo delivery has been waiting for, mostly since they need no ground facilities for their takeoffs or landings, no train stations, no bus depots, no truck parking lots, and no harbors. The ATLANTs land and fly vertically literally anywhere, connecting places point-to-point just like a helicopter or a drone, but capable of carrying a much larger cargo to much longer distances at a much lower cost.
This unique ability draws a lot of attention from humanitarian organizations, such as the UN World Food Program, because today’s logistical difficulties pose significant obstacles before their important mission. The ATLANTs would also offer simple point-to-point transportation for the large wind turbines. Those giant structures face enormous hurdles today in reaching locations well outside communities. For these and countless other products, the ATLANTs would be efficient and reliable flying cranes.
The ATLANTs will also create a new dimension in air travel, in short-haul and high comfort passenger ferry flights to numerous hard to reach destinations. Thye can also serve as futuristic and luxury sky yachts flying wealthy travelers to the most hidden places on earth. Think the Arctic ice or small tropical islands…
Gennadiy Verba, CEO and Founder of Atlas LTA said in a statement: “The airships being developed by Atlas have several advantages in comparison to any aircraft and sometimes even before ground transportation. First, it is a low cost per ton-kilometer. But most important, much lower greenhouse gas emissions: 30-40% less than the most effective airplanes, and 5 to 7 times less than the best heavy helicopters. And that is only the beginning – our electric power train will enable us to reach zero emissions within the next 7 to 8 years, much faster than other flight vehicles of comparable size. Capable of operating in the most difficult weather conditions, the ATLANT is a good alternative to land transportation which requires using ice roads that remain open only at wintertime in countries like Russia or Canada.”
Atlas also expecting to present its first electric airship, which will take tourists to the sky, in about two years. This airship, named Atlas-11, is designed for 19 people (2 crew members and 17 passengers). The aerial tours on this aircraft are a most pleasant experience since the flight is uniquely stable and quiet, the windows are large, and the seats provide first-class accommodation. Although the Atlas-11 looks like a conventional blimp, it has a huge advantage over today’s blimps with its innovative electric engine.
Yaron Bul, one of the owners and the man in charge of the business development in Atlas LTA, said in a statement: “Our sightseeing airships will make sky tours much more affordable comfortable, offering not just the obvious business aspects, but also the important value of a green flight.”