If I\'m going to go lighter than air I want full buoyancy especially under no power.

6,000 km at speeds of \"up to\" 120 km/hr? That\'s a flight time of at least 50 hours. I hope the cabin is luxurious, with beds and a kitchen.
I also think there must be faster ways of delivering urgent medical supplies. Parachute from a C130, for instance.
A lot depends on price. If the small version is very much cheaper than a helicopter it may find a market.

Every time I hear that something is designed for its \"Low Carbon Footprint\" I know it going to be an over-priced piece of junk..

Still worried about the fact it uses helium instead of hydrogen. Helium isn\'t exactly a limitless resource.

\"Additionally, the aircraft could also fly when filled with plain old air. This means the aircraft will still be able to fly - and, more importantly, land safely - if there is damage that results in helium loss.\" Direct quote, Do I REALLY have to point out that if you have a hole that lets out the hellium, it would let out the air too??? Brainless.

thier motto is pretty blunt about why this is so awesome. \"no roads, no fuel, no infrastructure\" . It can fly for 50 hours, with no fuel. doesn\'t need a runway to land. that\'s pretty neat. I can see this being pretty huge , especially for supplying remote communities.
it\'s a Canadian company, there\'s deffinately a market at home for them.
Honestly, just looking at that picture. how much could the materials have cost them for that prototype? looks like it would be affordable to sell as a flippin\' hobby kit. so equisite.
real footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjxpA68zYAM&feature=related

@Will
Don\'t worry about it. The oil will run out before the helium, and massive new stores of the stuff have been discovered recently. Even then, no helium=/= no airships. There are plenty other viable lift gases. Hot air and it\'s more powerful sibling steam, possibly ammonia, and of course a nonflammable Nitrogen/Hydrogen mix.
@kellory
Please give these people a little credit. First of all, it would take a huge hole in a Nanuk-sized airship to be of immediate danger to it- think midair collision or hitting a flying iceberg. It isn\'t even going to notice a AK-47 unloading into it or SAM passing through it. So it\'s not like it\'s in constant danger from sewing needles. Second, you don\'t know what kind of structure- of any- this will have. For all you know, it\'s a fully rigid Zeppelin. If it was semi-rigid or nonrigid, it would have balonets- air-filled balloons within the balloon- to keep it under very slight pressure so it can fly, and to compensate for altitude. The balonets are constantly inflated by fans.
Not so brainless after all, eh?

re; kellory
Continuously pumping.

@Will Sharp: \"Helium isn\'t exactly a limitless resource.\" -- Only the second most common element in the universe.
@kellory: \"if you have a hole that lets out the hellium, it would let out the air too??? Brainless.\" -- Helium is slippery and leaks easily, like hydrogen. Usually a leak is gradual. You carry reserves. But they are finite, so with a compressor, you use plain ole air, which doesn\'t run out. Smart!
@Slowburn: \"If the small version is very much cheaper than a helicopter it may find a market.\" -- There\'s some interesting market studies looking at, for instance, cross-Atlantic freight options that are cheaper than airfreight and faster than sea. It\'s a matter of cost vs time, as you infer.

I know about helium, gentlemen. It has a smaller molacule and goes right through rubber ballons, that is why the good ones are mylar. You are missing the point. if it will fly with just air, then it does not gain that much lift from the helium. the helium would simply improve it\'s range and fuel efficiency. So a small leak is not a big deal. For it to be a big deal, would require a BIG HOLE! For it to NEED a redundancy system like that it would require a big hole. pumps and compressors add to the overall wieght, ALL THE TIME, not just when needed, So that would cut down on the efficiency of the helium, if it has to be backchecked with pumps or compressors. And a BIG HOLE is just as deadly with air as with helium!