Why in the News?

Some companies have been working to solve the buoyancy challenge of Airships, a longstanding issue that has hindered their use for cargo transportation.

How do Airships work?

• Airships achieve lift by using lighter-than-air gases within their structure, much like helium balloons.
• Early airships used hydrogen due to its lightweight and low cost.
  • However, hydrogen is highly flammable, leading to tragic incidents such as the Hindenburg disaster of 1937, which damaged public trust in airships.
• Most airships today use helium, a non-flammable gas that is safer than hydrogen.
• However, helium is scarce and expensive, costing about $35 per cubic meter (enough to lift just 1 kg).
• Challenge with varying Buoyancy:
  • Airships require the ability to vary their buoyancy to adjust for weight changes when picking up or dropping off loads.
  • Solutions such as releasing and refilling helium are impractical due to helium’s high cost and scarcity.

How Airships are a Promising Solution?

Airships hold potential as low-emission cargo vehicles due to their unique design:

• Airships have a high lift-to-drag ratio, meaning they consume far less fuel than aeroplanes for moving the same load.
• Companies are exploring the use of ballast to regulate airship buoyancy, a method common in hot air balloons and submarines.
• A French company has created a 200-meter “flying crane” airship called LCA60T, which can pick up water as ballast mid-flight, avoiding the need for specialized ground infrastructure.
• With concerns about climate change and the aviation industry’s carbon footprint, airships offer a less polluting alternative. They do not burn fossil fuels to lift, making them an eco-friendly choice.

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now