Air Transportation: September 8, 2002

Archives

US Army dreams of a new fleet of Zeppelins to deliver its tanks to distant battlefields at ten times the speed of ships (and make Medium Brigades unnecessary) may not work out after all. Cargolifter, the German company that designed (and built a prototype for) these new stratospheric airships is in bankruptcy after finding no commercial market for its cargo airships. Boeing has agreed to bail the company out, but is only interested in developing airships for use as communications and surveillance platforms, not to haul cargo.--Stephen V Cole