Troops could benefit by the constant presence airships would provide, but could be vulnerable to weather conditions and require unique maintenance and support, according to a November report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The Defense Department now deploys several airships in areas where they can remain aloft for extended periods of time and provide battlefield commanders and troops with constant intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) support. Plans are afoot to enhance airship presence. The unmanned aircraft provide an advantage over fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles like Predator and Global Hawk, because of their ability to remain stationary and on station for long periods of time. And while satellites also provide the same ISR capabilities, they cannot remain on station. The CBO report stopped short of making cost estimates for airship deployment, calling enterprise “speculative.” But, the report noted, “Unmanned aircraft are particularly attractive for such missions because they can be designed to provide durations beyond the physical endurance of human air crews and because they do not put humans at risk during operations in potentially hostile airspace.”
