08-06-2007, 15:57 PM
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#20 (permalink)
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Military Professional
Join Date: 09-15-06
Location: Penzance, Cornwall UK
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Quote:
Originally Posted by texacali
Airshipworld notes correctly that the Zeppelin is in production in Germany.
Tourism and dayflights at the present appear to be all the buyers are using it for. The platform should be stable enough for border observation, having the stability and mobility not offered by inflatables, i.e. blimps. Also, it may have a larger payload capacity for instruments and fuel for time on station.
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As the structure weight of a rigidly constructed airship is necessarily greater than a blimp, the only way it can be made to have a worthwhile payload is to add more gas, thus increasing the overall dimensions to accomodate this. This is not to say that there is no future for LTAs in such roles as border control, just that they will be larger and more expensive to operate than blimps for the same lifting ability.
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