Hi Larry,

The "expert" instantly agreeing that it is a lift vehicle...seems very superficial, like you point out - considering the weights involved it would be a waste.

A stinger or even any artillery fire would bring a blimp down in a hurry. Can you imagine the easy yet valuable target a slow moving cargo blimp carrying men or tanks would be for passing planes or ground artillery?

I am inclined to agree with Dan that it may be an intelligence platform - but a big intelligence platform seems so costly and wasteful when it is so easily destroyed and multiple smaller ones would ensure survivability and even less recognition.

The slow movement is disturbing too.

Most military craft would prefer to move quickly than slowly. I sure as heck wouldnt want to pilot a low flying boat across a combat zone.

If it is a blimp - and I suspect it is - I think perhaps it has a BNC purpose.

Perhaps it is a prototype vehicle which can stealthily deploy chemical weapons or counter-agents over large populated civilian, non-combat areas?

This seems to me a more likely usage. Such a usage would also be kept from the public for natural reasons - each sighting would cause hysteria and panic.

SDAI-Tech1