Rostec State Corporation believes that blimps have the potential to become an effective means of cargo delivery in the Russian Arctic.
"Blimps, due to their ability to operate without runways and handle the transportation of bulky goods over long distances, can become one of the key elements of Arctic logistics…At the same time, the operation of blimps requires significantly lower costs compared to airplanes or helicopters, which makes them an economically viable type of cargo transport," said Mikhail Kalinin, general director of the Dolgoprudny Design Bureau of Automation.
According to him, heavy hybrid cargo blimps capable of lifting from 30 to 200 tons and transporting cargo over distances of up to 3,000 km may be in demand in the Arctic.
"According to our estimates, they will be able to occupy up to 30% of the cargo flow in the Arctic. At the same time, the main volume of traffic will still remain with sea transport (up to 50%) and aviation (up to 20%)," Kalinin stressed.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau Rough&Polished
Produced and published as part of the project "Best practices have a voice"
