[jp555]

I have a blurry recollection of seeing an aircraft design that was a combination of an airplane and a dirigible. It looked like a poofy manta ray, an inflated rigid lifting body or flying wing. It wasn't quite VTOL & needed a very short runway, but it also gained more maneuverability in flight. Maybe it was too much of a compromise though.

[astebbin]

Could it be this one [0], or its predecessor [1]?

[0] http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lockheed-martin-aircra... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_P-791

[theophrastus]

Perhaps you're thinking of the infamous 'Deltoid Pumpkinseed'[1][2] ?

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AEREON_26

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Deltoid-Pumpkin-Seed-John-McPhee/dp/0...

[cr0sh]

You mean this one?

http://mashable.com/2017/05/24/airlander-butt-plane-successf...

There's actually been more than one of these types of aircraft (known as Lighter Than Air - or LTA Aircraft), either as an idea or prototype throughout history.

[sk8ingdom]

That type of vehicle is called a hybrid airship!

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_airship