Some defence experts are calling for airships to defend the Arctic north, saying technological advances have given them new practical usefulness amid challenges from hostile powers like China and Russia.
This case was most recently made by U.S. Lt.-Col. Cam Kovarek in her paper “Floating a different boat: operationalizing airships for homeland security in the Arctic.” The report published by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute says today’s lighter-than-air (LTA) platforms are much more versatile than the blimps, dirigibles, aerostats, and zeppelins of the past and argues LTAs are becoming a “viable” and “effective solution” to counter security challenges in the Arctic.
