Airship Programs - Not So Buoyant, Says GAO

(Bad) timing is everything in aerospace. At the height of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, airships looked to be the answer to demands for persistent, "staring-eye" surveillance. But problems developing the systems - including, surprisingly, the decades-old technology of building a lighter-than-air vehicle - means they are coming along just as the window of opportunity is closing.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) tells a heavy tale of lighter-than-air development and procurement troubles in a new report on Pentagon aerostat and airship programs. Here are some of the highlights:  Airship Programs - Not So Buoyant, Says GAO