Since its inception, Pégase, a competitive cluster working to develop the economic activity of the aeronautic and space industry in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region (PACA), has been looking closely at the 'airship' sector. A workshop was needed to deal with this urgent issue and so, Pégase set up the first workshop of this kind in May 2007. For three days, the participants focussed their discussions on two airship markets: transport airships for heavy loads weighing from several tons to 1,000 tons, and stratospheric airships as a supplement to satellites. All the subjects were reviewed during the three days, i.e., technical feasibility and economic profitability of the sector, relevance of a single sector or several sub-sectors, definition of a realistic and interactive roadmap, mobilization of the economic and political decision-makers, and so on.
After the workshop and work on "consolidating the relevance and development methods for the airship sector in France and Europe," the Pégase cluster decided to publish an summary of the work in a White Paper. Called Les Dirigeables (Airships), it presents the state of the art in the sector in France and worldwide, details development challenges, and defines the technological problems inherent to this kind of project, listed as recommendations for national, political and financial decision-makers. The White Paper also outlines a general roadmap that turn the promises of the sector into concrete pragmatic options.
