01.2 - Aircraft Design and Integrated Systems (Use cases and Applications)

PRELIMINARY SIZING METHODOLOGY FOR HYBRID-ELECTRIC PROPULSION SYSTEM IN CARGO AIRSHIPS

S. Trivedi¹, A.K. Munshi¹, R.S. Pant¹; ¹Indian Institute Technology Bombay, India

Cargo airships offer promising platforms for hybrid-electric propulsion due to buoyant lift and low energy demand, yet dedicated sizing methods are limited. This study adapts aircraft-based HEP models to airship-specific aerostatic and mass constraints and applies them to the Zeppelin NT. Results show that at 400 Wh/kg cell-level energy density, an all-electric configuration incurs an over 11% increase in take-off weight, demonstrating the need for airship-specific HEP sizing frameworks.

View Paper

DOI: 10.71945/icas2026_0688