MEPhI: A hybrid of an airplane and an airship

2025: Development Begins

The National Research Nuclear University MEPhI began the development of a fundamentally new high-altitude atmospheric platform combining the characteristics of an airship and an aircraft. The device is intended for use as an element of the telecommunication infrastructure. This was reported by the press service of the university to TAdviser on November 25, 2025.

The university won the competition of the National Technology Initiative Fund to support research and development work. The competition is aimed at ensuring the technological independence and global competitiveness of Russian unmanned aircraft systems.

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Фото: MEPhI

NRNU MEPhI became the winner in the lot "Development of technology for creating BVS with the possibility of long-term stay over a certain area of ​ ​ the Earth's surface." The project of the University Engineering Center is called "Development of technology for creating a high-altitude atmospheric BVS platform with a demonstrator of a base station of telecommunication standards for data reception and transmission for testing D2D communications in non-terrestrial NTN networks and surface monitoring tasks."

The team of the MEPhI Engineering Center intends to create a technological groundwork for a heavy stratospheric platform with autonomy of up to 1000 hours. The development provides for the integration of the device into a distributed multi-level non-terrestrial network.

Scientists offer a concept that combines the advantages of airships and aircraft. Airships provide greater carrying capacity and long exposure to air, but are expensive to operate and sensitive to wind. The aircraft are efficient aerodynamically and wind resistant, but limited in flight time due to the inability to fully use the energy of the sun in Russian latitudes.

The proposed concept has the advantages of lighter-than-air devices. Zero buoyancy in the stratosphere eliminates the need to expend energy to maintain flight. At the same time, the development has aerodynamic qualities characteristic of aircraft-type devices. This allows you to withstand strong winds with minimal energy costs.