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Airship Safety
If you ask most people what they know about airships, you'll probably get a story about the flaming inferno that was The Hindenburg. This, and other, hydrogen filled airship did great damage to the reputation of dirigible flight. These days however, the lift gas helium is used, which is not only inert but also acts as a fire extinguisher. Modern airships have a natural buoyancy and are designed to offer an almost zero chance of a catastrophic failure occuring. The internal hull pressure is maintained at only 1%-2% above thre surrounding air pressure, meaning that the airship is highly tolerant to physical damage or (in military use) to attack by small arms fire or missiles. Like a large tanker riding through rough seas, the airships huge hull mass largely dampens the effect of turbulence. A modern airship is usually a poor lightning target, as it is constructed mainly from composite materials, but whilst on long duration flights, weather patterns would be flown to avoid bad weather. If it was to be struck, built-in protection devices reduce the risk to the airship and its cargo or passengers. The UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) conducted a series of structural vulnerability tests on a Skyship 600. Several hundred high-velocity bullets were fired through the hull, and even two hours later the vehicle was able to return to base. The airship is virtually impervious to small arms fire and mortar fire: ordnance passes through the envelope without causing critical helium loss. In every instance of small arms fire evaluated under test conditions, the airship was able to complete its mission and return back to its base.
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Contributor's Note
This article was originally published on the blimpship.com/blog
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blimps now have an exeptional airship safety record
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