Anuma Aerospace to build partial vacuum lift cargo airship

Raleigh, N.C.-based Anuma Aerospace is developing its first partial vacuum lift airship prototype as a sustainable alternative for transporting air cargo. Anuma’s partial vacuum lift (PVL) technology is similar to ballast in a submarine, except the PVL removes air to increase lift and adds air to decrease altitude, Anuma Aerospace co-founder and Chief Executive Jamie Little told Cargo Facts . [caption id="attachment_57147675" align="aligncenter" width="808"] Using PVL is safer than hydrogen or helium, according to Anuma. (Courtesy/Anuma Aerospace)[/caption] While the PVL airship’s range has yet to be defined, Anuma expects the prototype to carry around 100 to 150 tonnes at an average speed of 70 miles per hour to provide a safer alternative to hydrogen and helium lift dirigibles. “The advantages over hydrogen are definitely safety,” Little said. “No one’s using hydrogen in the United States — actually all of North and South America — as it's still prohibited by the FAA.” Although hydrogen can be produced naturally, helium is an expensive, non-renewable option mined by the natural gas industry, Little said. When comparing Anuma’s PVL technology to helium and hydrogen, both gases have issues establishing buoyancy control on the ground and during flight, Little said. Anuma received its patent for the PVL technology from the U.S. Patent Office in 2023 and expects to complete its first prototype in 2029. Register now for Cargo Facts' essential regional events for industry stakeholders: Cargo Facts LATAM 2025 on Feb. 10-11 at the Pullman Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport in Brazil; Cargo Facts Asia 2025 on March 24-26 at the W Shanghai in China; and Cargo Facts EMEA 2025 on May 6-8 at the Shangri-La Bosphorus in Turkey.

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