The Boeing Company and SkyHook International are to work together to develop a new commercial heavy-lift rotorcraft designed to address the limitations and expense of transporting equipment and materials in remote regions.

The SkyHook JHL-40 aircraft will be capable of lifting a 40 ton sling load and transporting it up to 200 miles without refuelling in harsh environments such as those found in Canada and Alaska. Currently, conventional land and water transportation methods in these underdeveloped regions are inadequate, unreliable and costly. With its lifting capacity and range, the JHL-40 aircraft could change this for a variety of industries.

The neutrally buoyant aircraft allows SkyHook to safely carry payloads unmatched by any rotorcraft currently in existence. The helium-filled envelope is sized to support the weight of the vehicle and fuel without payload. With the empty weight of the aircraft supported by the envelope, the lift generated by four rotors is dedicated solely to lifting the payload, leaving the aircraft naturally buoyant.

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