Technological development has reduced the barrier cost of entry of maritime sea control, resulting in a cluttered maritime environment and numerous challenges to the existing fleet. A low- to mid-altitude airship utilizing low-quality/low pressure steam as a lifting gas and off the shelf solar energy solutions may be used to ensure the fleet has the mobility, persistence, detectability, and survivability to ensure continued threat prevention.
Could be. This proposal is more of a support to the fleet as an armed aerial scout with great persistence.
But I wondered if low-altitude airships could substitute for ships in the Black Sea, where outside warships face severe treaty limits on numbers and duration of presence.
NATO does exercise in the Black Sea:
NATO is participating with two naval groups, Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) which assembled in Burgas, Bulgaria for the harbour phase dedicated to last minute coordination and operational details.
Although airships would certainly be a force multiplier for the limited ships we can put in the Black Sea.
