Lockheed Martin P-791 Hybrid Air Vehicle

There really aren’t enough modes of transportation on the market. Okay that’s a lie there are too many, but you have to agree it’s nice to have options. The Lockheed Martin P-791 Hybrid Air Vehicle may look like an air bag or a hero sub, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Everything needs shipping. Your car, your computer, your phone, that novelty Packers cheesehead you ordered online. But shipping is expensive when there’s a scarcity of room, fuel and options.

Ships are cheap (6 to 10 cents per ton mile) but slow (transport takes two to three weeks halfway around the world) and air freighters are fast (we’re talkin hours to circle the globe) but costly (50 or 60 cents per ton mile). The P-791 aims to fill in that middle ground with a whole new efficiency: around 3 days at 25 cents per ton mile. The airship is so economical because of its aerodynamic three-lobed design, movable engines and propellers, and its lack of need for parking space.

The P-791 has two interlocked ovals for landing pads that inflate to allow a semi-solid surface that can land anywhere (cement, grass, sand, snow, water etc.). There is also no need to tie the craft down or make it seem like a dog with its leash tied to the rod of the Empire State Building, because the landing pads become suction cups that will hold any surface tight enough to eliminate the need for tarmacs and such.

Being lifted by Helium offers an unmatched fuel efficiency that will let this baby cross the Atlantic carrying tons of cargo and never need to stop to refuel. The future of the Lockheed Martin P-791 Hybrid Air Vehicle looks promising and with all this money-saving maybe I’ll finally be able to stop paying $25 in shipping & handling for a $20 cheesehead. Ridiculous.