Folks, I'm one of the shareholders, so you can call me nuts if you like but this is not a blimp, it is a heavier than air lifting body shape with VTOL auto take off and land capability. It requires minimal ground crew as its landing gear hover taxies and then uses its bow thruster to turn in its own length.
It does not need masts, ropes, 16 blokes dragging from pillar to post etc etc.
The 80 knot cruise will keep it stationary with a 75 knot wind(at fl240 mind you) and at 20,000 feet it is out of effective range unless you want to start talking radar.
The payload at 20k is 3.5 metric tons for a 3 and a half week sortie. Thats a lot of surveillance and whatever else you want to put on it.
The same chassis also works as an unmanned skytruck at lower altitudes, but this time the payload increases to 20 metric tonnes.
It is effectively a roll on roll off ferry that flies. it uses 80% less fuel than fixed wing yet offers equivalent transport flexibility to a helicopter at a fraction of the risk. You can fill it full of small arms fire holes and it flies just fine, and if it does get shot down, nobody dies. It is in many ways more surviveable than a helicopter.
The 20 tonne version is the initial prototype, but payloads up to 1000 tonnes are possible with 4 day endurance and transatlantic range, cruising at around 8000 feet.
The basic company website is Hybrid Air Vehicles ltd, and we are in direct competition with Lockheed Martin for the contract.
Boeing are trying to develop a similar vehicle.