The Giffard-class were a series of airships built shortly before the end of the Nova Evropan wars, and one of few successful airship classes developed in the Sixth French Republic.
These airships were made to be low-cost surveillance and reconnaissance platforms.

By the time the Giffard class was earmarked for production, the Nova Evropan War was almost over. However, there were remaining isolated bastions and citadels in France and the Alps with limited manufacturing capability; which were staffed by Citizens that refused to accept defeat by "racial traitors", "invaders" and "degenerates". They believed that, while they had failed to uphold European regeneration, the war had left only the strongest among them, and if they attained enough human breeding stock, they could beget an even stronger generation that'd be capable of reconquering the region. From these bastions, the Nova Evropan remnants could still launch raids and kidnappings for their breeding program.

In this sort of war, it was thought that the high endurance of airships could play a large role in forming an early warning system against such attacks, and their quieter, slower nature would make them a better fit at tracking Nova Evropan remnants and finding their hidden bases.
While generally successful thanks to it's low cost and a high stability that made it aan excellent commanding aircraft and in civilian roles, airships in general would lose out to the burgeoning rotary-wing aircraft industry developed post-War in the SFR.