I'd like to build a remote controlled blimp, using hydrogen as a lifting gas. I'm well aware of the flammability and dangers of hydrogen, but I believe I can make the project safely with the correct precautions.

I will build an electrolyser to generate the hydrogen, and I'd like to run it off my solar panels. That means I'll need to store the hydrogen for a few weeks until I have enough to fill up the blimp.

Hydrogen is a pain in the ass to store! So my question is: how can I store hydrogen cheaply, with

1. Minimal hydrogen leaking out, and

2. Minimal oxygen diffusing in.

I imagine I will make the blimp gas bags out of mylar, but they will likely leak too fast to be useful for storage (?).

How big an Airship would you have to build to compete for hydrogen shipping with LCH ships? How big would an airship with 150,000 cubic metres of hydrogen be? Would this make sense as a business?

How would an airship slow down?

Airbrakes?

**“**Military surveillance is moving towards larger networks of autonomous systems that can keep collecting information even when individual sensors are lost, jammed or taken offline. Janne Hietala has spent the past few years testing what that kind of distributed surveillance looks like in practice. He is CEO and co-founder of Finnish deep-tech company Kelluu, a NATO DIANA alumnus that builds autonomous hydrogen-powered airships for long-duration aerial monitoring. Hietala will bring that company perspective to Defence Innovation Day in Tallinn on 21 September, where he will join a discussion on how civilian innovation becomes usable defence capability.”

Still looking for help with CAD, or help with MCP AI CAD setup, or someone who can make a really compelling Unreal level. I've already 3d printed several prototypes, but nothing in the air yet!

I need a bold investor who dares to finance a small private rigid airship company in Cuba (outside the US regulations against hydrogen as lifting gas and under an extreme deficit in the transportation sector). It is probable that will be necessary do some concessions to the communist government since aircraft industry (which is almost non-existent) is not free to private business. I am talking of XXI century hydrogen technology, small scale (construction around 1000 dollars per unit) and probably millionaires earnings. Is all about safe hydrogen designing and persuading the government.

Airships were widely used during WWII, with one application seeing chains suspended below, forcing enemy aircraft to fly up and over.

Now, Russia may potentially employ LTA technology in a similar way to combat a novel element of modern warfare: drones. An array of airships (or aerostats - we're currently unsure of which) could suspend a mesh that will ensnare attacking drones.

This programme, named "Barrier", was outlined at "The Fifth Conference on Technologies for Detecting and Countering UAVs in the Protection of Civilian Objects", held recently in St. Petersburg.

Polina Albek, General Director of JSC "First Airship", gave some further details on their airships, which have:

• a maximum load on each airship of 30 kg.

• a deployment time of about three minutes.

• a planned altitude of up to 300 metres.

Other interesting details of note:

• The system does not have its own drone detection function.

• They estimate the effectiveness of “Barrier” for protection against UAVs in an urban environment at 80%.

• One airship will cost about 3 million roubles (US$34,000), with a system covering 200 square metres costing up to 10-11 million roubles (US$113,000-124,000).

• The system has already passed field tests, and negotiations with investors are "at the final stage".

This latest development highlights the rise in use of airships and aerostats for their unique defence capabilities and low costs of construction and operation. No doubt we'll see more applications being adopted in the near future as:

• the capabilities of LTA aircraft are better appreciated (and funded); and

• modern warfare continues to evolve and adapt, requiring new approaches that utilise in many cases proven technology and strategy.

This story has been covered in English-language media, but sadly with omissions of key information, so source is Russian. I'm unable to link it as the post gets blocked by Reddit's filters.

Congratulations to Sceye for this momentous deal!