Pathfinder 1 is a subscale prototype of the airship LTA Pathfinder 3, currently under development at another WWII-era hangar in Akron, Ohio. LTA will eventually submit for certification by the FAA. The Pathfinder 3 will be larger than the current vessel and will carry more passengers or cargo.

They are updating the airship for the modern age. Pathfinder 3, which will be about 600 feet (180 meters) long. Instead of aluminum beams inside, Pathfinder 1 uses lightweight carbon fiber rods and titanium hubs, and each of its 13 huge nylon gas cells contains stable helium rather than flammable hydrogen.

Pathfinder 1 has a lift of 28 metric tons and a range of 4,500 kilometers, using a hybrid-electric power plant, batteries and solar cells to drive 12 electric motors.

LTA's Pathfinder 3, building on the earlier Pathfinder 1 prototype unveiled in 2023 in California and supported by Sergey Brin, is an all-electric rigid airship with advanced systems like lidar monitoring helium volume. Pathfinder 3 is under construction in Ohio and will be about 590 feet long with a payload capacity around 96 tons and range near 10,000 miles.

Historic airships were mainly passenger and military reconnaissance vehicles, with significant flight and safety limitations due to hydrogen use and primitive technology. New airships seek to overcome these challenges with robust weather resilience, controllability.

The Airlander 10, developed by UK-based Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), is a hybrid aircraft using a combination of gas lift and aerodynamic thrust, powered by diesel engines with plans to transition to electric propulsion. It can fly up to 20,000 feet and stay aloft for up to five days manned, or two weeks unmanned, with payload capacity around 10 tons. Production deliveries are expected to begin in 2026.