US Navy airship

The US Navy and Coast Guard have leased an airship for a 6 week test in the surveillance role. The Skyship 600 (which is British built of course) will be used off the Florida coast. The airship has a 52 hour endurance but will be restricted to 8 hour flights because of crew fatigue (so lets think of an UAV version perhaps?). The fuel efficiency of the airship is a big plus especially with the current price of gas. The airship is also faster (at 52mph) than Coast Guard cutters and a more stable and smoother platform than a helicopter.



The US Navy have used blimps and airships before of course in the past, not always with the best of results.