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World's largest aircraft damaged during test flight in England

Xinhua, August 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Airlander 10, the world's largest aircraft ever according to its manufacturer, hit a telegraph pole during its second test flight and suffered cockpit damage on Wednesday.

The 302 feet (92 meters) long aircraft, which is actually an airship equipped with airplane propellers, was damaged during a test flight from Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire, some 55 km north of London.

The craft, worth 25 million British pounds (33 million U.S. dollars), reportedly sustained damage to its cockpit when it hit the pole at about 11:00 a.m. local time. No one was injured.

Aircraft owners Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) had its first successful test flight on Aug. 17.

The craft was first developed for the U.S. government as a surveillance aircraft but shelved amid defence budget cuts.

HAV launched a campaign to return the Airlander 10 to the skies in May 2015.

It says the huge aircraft will be able to stay airborne for around five days during manned flights, serving for multi-purposes such as surveillance, communications, delivering aid and even passenger travel. Endit