Re: Battle blimps

----- Original Message -----

> And a 747 is pretty small compared to what an airship can accomodate.
> The tone is the sort of "forward-looking statement" that the SEC puts
> people in jail for. But 20 years from now something like that may even
> be plausible. An airship with a couple of air defense lasers sitting
at
> 20 miles altitude can cover a lot of territory and sweep the skies
> clear, and be impervious to anything in the air.

I would doubt that last statement. A stealthy fighter with long-range
missiles might be an option against it. And the blimp would be rather
more
vulnerable than a 747 or A380 armed with an equivalent laser.

> Considering that, I can  see value in pursuing very radical studies.

At a basic level, yes. On the other hand, things like that tend to
develop a
pork-barrel life of their own.

Greetings
Karl Heinz