From what the article is saying, this seems to be a cross between a conventional dirigible (blimp, airship) and a "lifting body." The "lifting body" idea has only been around since the 1960s (when flying wing designs were definitely dis-proven to be a better airplane); some of the lifting body ideas were used later in designing and building the Space Shuttle.
The primary reason why the aircraft is not a true dirigible (i.e. lighter than air) is to save on space. The bags used to hold the helium have to be huge. Moreover, hydrogen and helium are very 'sneaky' molecules; they will usually leak out of the gas-bag within a year or so (and then escape from Earth's atmosphere a short time later).
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-09-11 05:45 am (UTC)The primary reason why the aircraft is not a true dirigible (i.e. lighter than air) is to save on space. The bags used to hold the helium have to be huge. Moreover, hydrogen and helium are very 'sneaky' molecules; they will usually leak out of the gas-bag within a year or so (and then escape from Earth's atmosphere a short time later).