Enabling Buoyant Aircraft (BA)

LuffShips (LS) is the trading name of Luffships Limited (LSL), a business developing buoyant aircraft (BA – i.e. aerostats and airships) using lighter-than-air (LTA) principles. LSL’s plans lead to serious heavy-lift types as aerial-cranes for point-to-point transport and other duties, typically as illustrated right – a goal.

We know this is possible from the CL75 pictured here, built to test ideas – enabled by LSL engineers and their associates.

Maybe not what people expect an aircraft to be but who else recently vertically air-lifted and then safely flew with an outsized single 55 tonne load over a 2km course, which the CL75 was used for? Designed for air-tow methods with 75 tonne payloads, it was just something affordable 23 years ago to start with that could be scaled up and arranged for more serious purposes, which didn’t follow and hasn’t been surpassed by others since then.

LSL’s team leaders comprises aeronautical people from the industry who are engineers and specialists with experience in BA development & operation. See our Teams page for information.

Our motto is, “The impossible we do immediately (CL75 done), it’s only miracles that take a little longer!”