The next-generation of the British hovercraft is here

This article was first published in the December 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.

Inside this hangar sits the next generation of fuel-efficient passenger hovercraft. Destined for Hovertravel's Portsmouth to Isle of Wight route, the 12000TD will the replace two 30-year-old AP-188 models which currently make 70 daily crossings across The Solent, powered by four engines apiece: two to lift the craft and two to propel it forward.

The new design has just two engines per craft. "Each has a pair of integrated engines that combine lift and forward thrust," explains Paul Irvine, mechanical and system design team leader at Southampton-based Griffon Hoverwork, the company responsible for the craft.

The 12000TD is set to take to the water for testing this winter, and Neil Chapman, 
managing director of Griffon's sister company Hovertravel, which operates the service, 
expects the engines to contribute to an improvement in fuel efficiency of between five and 25 per cent.

When the hovercraft launch commercially in April 2016, passengers will experience reduced cabin noise from the two engines' slower-moving propellers.

Griffon Hoverwork's R&D team is already working on its next project: a small craft suitable for rescue services. "It will be a platform for new technologies," says Adrian Went, the company's managing director. "An inflatable deck on either side will make it ideal for rescue missions."

This article was originally published by WIRED UK