Modern Airships

Modern airships by design are capable of short-take off and landings (STOL), and vertical take-off and landings (VTOL). This VTOL capability enables the airship to land practically anywhere, independent of most infrastructure support. This ability would allow deploying heavy forces to be picked up at their home-station and transported directly to a location directed by the Combatant Commander, bypassing the labor intensive and time consuming portions of the deployment process. The challenge facing DoD is determining if this type of transport is feasible and acceptable for military use. DoD has already sponsored two studies on two very different airship designs, thus demonstrating DoD is interested in the airship heavy transport concept. This monograph highlights some of the findings from those studies and looks at historically proven uses of airships and some contemporary uses as well. Contemporary transports, the deployment process, and the associated challenges for deployments are also discussed. Together this information is used to assess feasibility and acceptability of airships as heavy transports. This monograph concludes with a positive assessment for the airship and recommendations for how DoD should proceed toward the use of airships in the not too distant future.