Boeing and SkyHook International have announced that they intend to team up
for a new aircraft called the JHL-40 (Jess Heavy Lifter). The JHL-40 is a new
commercial heavy lift aircraft that is intended to transport equipment and
materials in remote and harsh regions such as Alaska or the Canadian Arctic.
Boeing will build the JHL-40 neutrally buoyant rotorcraft for SkyHook, which
will own, maintain and operate the JHL-40 for commercial clients.
The aircraft utilizes a helium filled envelope that provides enough lift to
make the JHL-40 aircraft, engines, and crew neutrally buoyant. The four rotors
will generate
lift that is only needed to support the payload. According to Boeing and
SkyHook, the JHL-40 will be able to lift loads as heavy as 40 tons and
transport them up to 200 miles without refueling.
President and CEO of SkyHook Pete Jess said in a statement, “There is a
definite need for this technology. The list of customers waiting for SkyHook's
services is extensive, and they enthusiastically support the development of the
JHL-40. Companies have suggested this new technology will enable them to modify
their current operational strategy and begin working much sooner on projects
that were thought to be 15 to 20 years away.”
This Boeing-SkyHook technology represents an environmentally acceptable
solution for these companies' heavy-lift short-haul challenges, and it's the
only way many projects will be able to progress economically."
Boeing says that it will build two production JHL-40 aircraft at its
Rotorcraft Systems facility in Ridley Park, Pa.
Boeing was in the news recently when it won
its protest against Northrop Grumman’s EADS tanker deal.
