Aviation Capital based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, announced on 17 March 2011 that it had teamed with the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to develop, build, test, and certify to US Federal Aviation Administration standards a family of hybrid airships designed for heavy-lift cargo transport. SkyTug, as the first variant is called, will require little infrastructure and will be able to operate on unimproved surfaces or on water using an air cushion landing system. Aviation Capital will market the hybrid airship to the commercial market. Lockheed Martin retains rights to the military market. Three variants of the hybrid airship ranging in size from one that can lift twenty tons of cargo to one that can lift several hundred tons of cargo will be developed. Delivery of the first variant is expected in 2012.
