Aircraft Design: Goliath with a Nuke

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By contrast, the nuclear dirigible's high usable lift would enable it to carry a shielded reactor large enough to satisfy its low power requirements. And if it crashed, its gentle rate of descent and shock-absorbing bulk would probably protect the reactor against significant damage.

Not content with the dirigible's built-in advantages, Engineer Morse wants his craft to be as aerodynamically advanced as the newest jet. Turbines would draw air into strategically placed vents in the hull and force it out through exhaust ports in the rear. The air flow would largely eliminate the external "boundary layer" of air that would otherwise cling to the moving ship and cause friction, or drag. As a result, Morse's dirigible would require no more power than did its stately ancestors of the 1930s, though it would be nearly twice as large in volume.