Actually it's not. Blimps are full of warm gas generated by burners, much like a hot-air balloon. This is an airship full of lovely, floaty helium, so it's more like a party balloon. That's because it has a newfangled 'tri-lobe envelope'. In other words, the rigid hull is split into three sections, shaped to behave like aircraft wings and therefore provide extra lift. Technically, yes. About 80 per cent of lift comes from the helium, with the other 20 per cent provided by the wings, which also makes it more controllable than other airships. Rather than using traditional landing gear, the hybrid airship has an air cushion system, like a hovercraft. So it touches down softly on almost any level surface including water.
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