Good article, but you did miss one big advance in these ships. That is, they are hybrid designs. Rather than rely entirely on helium for lift, as with a traditional airship, the gasbag is shaped like a wing which provides lift like an airplane. The advantage of this system is that it allows for a smaller gasbag than a ship which relies entirely on static lift, which allows for higher speeds and, yes, less helium usage. The disadvantage is that, like an airplane, these guys cannot hover in one place and cannot remain airborne without running their engines.

Still, a great design which I’m very glad to see finally getting off of the ground.