Military blimp goes AWOL for a joy ride up the East Coast

[Luke Skywalker]

{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:

Get the news
Log In or Subscribe to skip

184 14 [h=6]Share This Story![/h]Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about

[h=4]Military blimp goes AWOL for a joy ride up the East Coast[/h]The blimp, when on duty, serves as a key component of domestic air defense.

{# #}
[h=4]Sent![/h]A link has been sent to your friend's email address.



[h=4]Posted![/h]A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.



[h=6]Join the Nation's Conversation[/h]To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs

[h=2]UP NEXT[/h][h=2]03[/h]


The Pentagon said Wednesday that U.S. fighter jets were tracking an unmanned Army surveillance blimp that tore loose from its ground tether in Maryland and drifted north over Pennsylvania. (Oct. 28) AP


In this February 4, 2015, photo, an aerostat is seen from its mobile mooring station as it is deployed at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. A massive US surveillance blimp broke loose from its mooring in Maryland on October 28, 2015, and floated toward Pennsylvania with two U.S. fighter jets following it, officials said.(Photo: Brendan Smialowski, AFP/Getty Images)


WASHINGTON – The Pentagon got its blimp back.
It went AWOL from Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland on Wednesday, snapping a more than one-inch thick cable and hitting the skies on a joy ride over the farm fields and towns of eastern Pennsylvania.
It's hard to hide when you're a blimp, and at nearly the size of a football field, this one has attracted attention and Tweets and two fighter jets. The Pennsylvania governor issued a statement. The military, too. They were all anxious to let people who were monitoring the blimp's progress, that, well, they were, too.
Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican, former Navy pilot and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Tweeted some advice during the chase: "Note to @usairforce: Follow that blimp!"
In the end, all they could really do was wait for the blimp to tire out and come to a rest. It did, about 4 p.m., near Moreland Township. While on the lam, dragging its cable, the blimp blacked out power for thousands people.
Surrounded by local law enforcement, the blimp awaited a team to haul it back to its post. "Mostly deflated," the military pronounced.
USA TODAY
Twitter reacts hilariously to breakaway blimp




When on duty, the blimp serves as a key component of domestic air defense. It is part of a surveillance system designed to detect cruise missiles, rockets, drones and other weapons that could be used to attack key targets in the United States.
But on Wednesday, it was being looked for rather than watching. And it should probably get back to work. It's an integral part of a $2.7 billion system.
Breakaway blimp sounds better to the ear than its official name. On formal occasions, it's known as the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System. Even Raytheon, the contractor that built it,fails to roll of the tongue.
"So everyone just calls it JLENS (pronounced jay-lens)," Raytheon says on its web site. "Or 'the radar blimp.'"
Runway blimp worked on Wednesday as well.
How the blimp slipped the surly bonds of earth is unclear. Its cable is made to withstand winds of 100 mph. Wednesday's weather at Aberdeen while rainy and bleak was hardly blustery. At the time of its escape, winds were from the east at about 12 mph with gusts to 23 mph.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters Wednesday not to worry. He vowed to refloat it.
0) { %> 0) { %>
0) { %>




Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed