We enjoy looking at the world from above

The airship era in the 1930s must have been fascinating. Titanic-sized airships crossed the sky. These largest flying machines of all time transported people regularly across the Atlantic, they were able to fly around the world in two weeks, they helped with expeditions to the unknown. Today we have more modern and faster machines in aviation, so the airship is slowly forgotten.

Well, I don’t think that this seemingly cumbersome cross between an airplane and a balloon belongs to junkyard. On the contrary, it has a combination of unique features that aircraft, helicopters and even popular drones do not have. I do not mean the transport of passengers or goods now, but rather the view from above – long-term, stable and energy-efficient. A perspective that will apply even today, full of information and communication technologies. Don’t you believe?

Imagine, for example, natural disasters, such as floods, that afflict us more and more often. When something like this happens, help is needed immediately. But quick help is problematic, as the affected area is large, the situation is chaotic, confusing, accurate information is lacking. Even the infrastructure is disrupted and any communication is very complicated.

One of the solutions can be an airship in the hands of rescue services, which will provide “oversight of the situation”. Suspended in the air, it can monitor large areas day and night with the camera for long hours, thus providing immediate information to the control center about the current situation. Or it can transmit a radio signal, thus helping to communicate and coordinate assistance over long distances. Similarly, the airship can be used for less dramatic events: we can monitor the traffic situation, oversee the safety of major social events, monitor protected areas where quiet operation is needed.

The limits of further possible use are only the limits of our own imagination. And we don’t like those limits with us, which is why we decided to start developing and producing unmanned airships. I personally believe in the return of the airship era, and what about you?

Pavol Gálik, VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, ALITER TECHNOLOGIES, A. S.

He has been with Aliter Technologies since 2008. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in planning and operating tactical deployable and mobile communications and information systems in the military. It prioritises strategic management of the development of ICT solutions for military and civilian crisis management operations.

SOURCE: FORBES (only in Slovak)