"Jarg" wrote

"Mike" wrote
Airship to keep eye on Mideast
Israel has begun development of a 200-yard-long airship that would
remain stationed at almost 70,000 feet above Earth for years and
permit tracking of aircraft and missile firings as far as 600 miles
away, a distance covering most of the Arab world.
at http://www.washtimes.com/world/20040...4723-7239r.htm

Seems like a great idea - a cheap AWACS/JSTAR! And particularly well
suited
for a small geographical area like Israel.

High altitude airships are being considered for both civil and military
applications. One limitation they have is in electrical generating capacity
over the long mission times planned. It's not insuperable, especially with
passive sensors but it is a problem. The other obvious limitation is the
ease with which angry strangers could punch holes in them.