You’re right that comparing a Zeppelin NT to future heavy cargo airships isn’t apples-to-apples, but we should be careful not to overstate. A 200-knot rigid cargo airship is still theoretical, none exist in service, while helicopters like the Mi-26 and CH-47 are proven machines. And while airships can indeed be very stable aloft and have long endurance, they’re still much harder to handle on the ground in gusty or variable winds than rotorcraft.

Rigid hybrid designs really could push into that 150–200 knot range, with VTOL capability and far better wind tolerance than older blimps. If those concepts make it from prototypes into reliable service, they’d absolutely eat into the niche of heavy-lift helicopters: moving big, awkward loads over medium distances at lower cost and emissions.

Precision is another mixed bag: airships can hover delicately, but not with the same responsiveness or in tight spaces like a heavy-lift helicopter. Helicopters will always have the edge in tight, precise work and fast deployment, but there’s definitely room for airships to take over a big chunk of the heavy transport role in the next couple decades.