Russia, USSR
Throughout most countries there are many places where it is extremely problematic to deliver goods by land or by using other types of aircraft. Airships could be useful, for example, when studying the Arctic, with georazvedke in Siberia and the Arctic. The Arctic has long attracted the attention of ambitious scientists who have studied it particularly intense since the late XIX century. Important oceanographic observations were made by the expedition of Norwegian polar explorers Nansen on the sailing ship "Fram" (1893-1896 years.) And R. Amundsen's ship Maud "(1918-1920 years).. The latter also directed in 1926 the first flight in a dirigible in Norway over the North Pole from Spitzbergen in America. The commander of the airship was the Italian engineer U. Nobile. In 1928, W. Nobile, led an Italian expedition to the North Pole in a dirigible "Italia", wrecked. (In the salvation of members of the expedition involved a Soviet icebreaker Krasin ".)
In the second half of XIX century. aeronautics gradually took its place in the Russian army - in service consisted balloons. At the end of the century acted separate aeronautic park, consisting in the possession of the Commission on aeronautics, pigeon post and watchtowers. In 1902-1903 he maneuvers. in the Red Selo, Brest and Vilnius tested ways of using balloons in the artillery and aerial surveillance (observation). Convinced of the usefulness of a tethered balloon, the War Department decided to create a special unit at a castle in Warsaw, Novgorod, Brest, Kovno Osivtsi and the Far East, part of which there were 65 balloons. To the construction of airships in Russia started in 1908
At the end of 1931 the Directorate General (DG) Glavvozduhflota organization was established "Dirizhablestroy. Dirizhablestroy was to design, produce and operate airships, as well as improve the methods of their use. In April 1932, "Dirizhablestroyu were transferred to the Central aeronautical base Osoaviachima Dolgoprudny in the station area, where construction began on a wooden hangar, factory for production of hydrogen and other buildings.
The company started work May 5, 1932, entitled "Dirizhablestroy. In May 1932 Dirizhablestroy received from Leningrad three blimps type: Soviet B-1, USSR-2 (Smolny) and the USSR In-3 (Red Star). They are intended for educational and promotional safety and test their application in the national economy. November 7, 1932 on Red Square were four Soviet airship: B-1, B-2, B-3 and B-4. By 1933, the USSR and mastered the design, construction and operation of airships of the mild type. Dirizhablestroyu was tasked: to organize the production of semi-rigid airship type. To do this, the Soviet Union was invited to an Italian airship designer Umberto Nobile. Nobile, together with a group of Italian experts arrived in Dolgoprudny in May 1932. At the end of February 1933 Nobile together with Soviet engineers created the first Soviet semi-rigid airship in the USSR-5. April 27, 1933 B-5 made its first flight lasting 1 hour 15 minutes. In 1933, B-5 flew more than 100 flights.
In 1940, the pre-war factory "Dirizhablestroy USSR" was preserved. During the war, at its base were carried out some work on the barrage balloon, as well as modification of existing aeronautical technology, including airships. From 1940 to 1956, all work associated with the creation and construction of aeronautical engineering, supervised the 13th of the Laboratory of TsAGI Zhukovsky. In 1956 were recorded massive penetration of Soviet air space, unmanned reconnaissance balloons that are in the mode of permanent drift from the air at the height of Soviet facilities. Special decision of the Government of the Soviet Union decided to recreate the industrial capacity to design and create various aeronautical engineering. Basic company OKB-424 was formed on the territory of the former "Dirizhablestroya" in Dolgoprudny. In the postwar period based DKBA airships were created as prototypes and experimental designs. Thus, at the end of 1970 commissioned by Air Force DKBA was designed airship lenticular shape. The project was founded on the 15-meter prototype of the airship in the form of the lens, which even held a number of tests.
In the early 1980's were calculated airships for the Navy, but because of funding problems started during the perestroika reforms, the project was preserved. After the collapse of the USSR SOE "DKBA" became a "federal state unitary enterprise" and head the Russian branch of aeronautical technology, rather, has become a core enterprise nascent industry.
In the 1990 DKBA drafting Blimps design 2DP with a load capacity of about 3 tons, and after a review of this terms of reference and to indicate the need for a device with larger capacity project continues under the title "Airship DC-3". In 2007, prepared avanproekt this apparatus.
Today, on the basis of Federal State Unitary Enterprise DKBA airships are being developed with capacity of 20, 30, 55, 70, 200 tons. Carried out a significant part of the project airship "lenticular" form DP-70T, which is designed to transport cargo from bezellingovoy year-round operation in all climatic zones. On the basis of this constructive airship airship explore options with a load capacity of 200-400 tons
Also being developed multifunctional semirigid airship design DP-4 with a capacity of 4-5 tons. To become more competitive FSUE DKBA is working dirizhabelnye projects using a full-time aviation parts and components, including chassis, engines, avionics, which ensures high quality products at significantly reduced production costs.