The Skyship 600 series of pressurised airships can be described as the first generation of modern airships. Developed in the 1980s by the British company Airship Industries they incorporated vectored thrust for increased manoeuvrability, the latest materials in the construction of the gondola and envelope, and it was the first airship with a fly-by-wire control system. The earlier versions were fitted with two Porsche 930/67 255hp engines, while several have been modified with Textron Lycoming IO-540s mounted externally.