Michelin Inflatable Solutions Backs Voliris’ NATAC Wing Development

Michelin Inflatable Solutions has agreed to support Voliris on the NATAC — an automated air shuttle designed to move containerised freight with minimal ground infrastructure. The Michelin unit will contribute materials expertise and industrial assembly methods for the aircraft’s five-lobe inflatable wing envelope, targeting ground-tested full-scale validation by 2028.

The programme aims at zero direct CO₂ operations and deployment in remote or infrastructure-limited locations.

What’s been announced, and why it matters

Voliris’ NATAC combines features of airships and cargo aircraft, using a flexible, segmented wing envelope to carry loads up to 30 tonnes while operating without a paved runway. Michelin Inflatable Solutions will qualify coated-textile composites and develop assembly processes to meet stringent permeability and mechanical requirements, including tension from inflation and external cable loads. A full-scale ground demonstrator of the wing is planned for 2028 following successful 1/7-scale flight tests.

“This collaboration brings Michelin Inflatable Solutions’ composite know-how to a hydrogen-ready aircraft concept designed for remote operations.”

Technical focus: the five-lobe inflatable wing

• The wing envelope is split into five lobes with a total volume around 25,000 m³, arriving folded and inflated on site.
• A proprietary pressure control system adjusts internal volume to maintain aerodynamic shape across altitudes.
• Design targets include resistance to inflation-induced stresses over ~8,000 m² of surface and impermeability to helium today and hydrogen in future.

Deployment and logistics

To simplify field operations, NATAC components are designed to ship in ten standard 40-foot containers for on-site assembly. The foldable envelope architecture is central to that approach and is a key area where Michelin Inflatable Solutions’ materials and assembly expertise will be applied.

Michelin’s broader sustainability and materials work

Recent Tyre News reporting shows Michelin advancing sustainable materials and transparency: using recovered carbon black in endurance racing tyres and adopting EU-aligned sustainability reporting.

What’s next

Voliris and Michelin Inflatable Solutions target a full-scale wing demonstrator for ground testing by 2028, advancing a path toward autonomous operations and hydrogen compatibility for zero-emission freight missions.

Further programme detail is available in Michelin’s press room announcement: Michelin supports Voliris’ NATAC

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Tagged with: Michelin Inflatable Solutions, Voliris NATAC, hydrogen airship, composite materials, air freight, inflatable wing, zero-emission logistics, coated textiles, helium envelope, ground demonstrator

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