Blimping ain't easy! U.S. Army aircraft comes untethered from Maryland base, drifts into Pennsylvania and takes out power in small town

 

 

This blimp finally flew free.

A massive U.S. Army aircraft, which has been infamous for its uselessness, came untethered from its Maryland base and drifted into a small town in Pennsylvania Wednesday, taking out the power as it hovered near the ground, officials and witnesses said.

The unnamed, unmanned blimp escaped from its home in Aberdeen Proving Grounds after noon, officials said.

Two fighter jets trailed it at 16,000 feet in the air as it floating out of the state, pulling 6,700 feet of cable with it.

After about two hours, it started descending in Bloomsburg, Pa., a town of five miles area and 15,000 people. Several reporters on the scene said the plane knocked out power lines.

Fisher Creasy, a student at Columbia-Montour AVTS School, told the Daily News he was working in a shop class when all the power went out.

When he went outside, he saw the blimp hovering close to the ground by his school.

"I looked at it and at first I thought it was a blimp from our Chevrolet dealership in town," said Creasy, 17.

Then it appeared to go down, he said. Creasy said he and the others at his school have no idea where or if it landed.

The 243-foot-long blimp is part of a $2.7 billion project by the Pentagon called JLENS, which was intended as an elaborate warning system in case America is attacked by missiles or drones.

But after that project started in late December, it was marred by a slew of sky-high failures. A Baltimore Sun investigation last month revealed the blimp proved incapable of handling bad weather, functioning reliably or even recognizing threatening aircrafts. The paper called it a prime example of what defense officials dismiss as a "zombie" program.

$2.7 Billion on a blimp as a warning system? A blimp?! :ohbrother:

$2.7 Billion on a blimp as a warning system? A blimp?! :ohbrother:

 

It's about to cost more than that.

It's about to cost more than that.

 

And it didn't even warn anyone before it broke loose and took out the power.

Blimp is only worth 175 mill.

And it didn't even warn anyone before it broke loose and took out the power.

 

No doubt. It probably won't warn whatever it crashes into either. No idea why they don't just shoot the damn thing down. It's been said that it's worthless anyway.

Blimp is only worth 175 mill.

 

Lol. I wouldn't pay $100 for it at the moment.

There are two of them actually. You can see them from the interstate. Eye sores, really.

 

Costs in the billions for development and seem to be useless. Some people are worried they'll be used for domestic surveillance.

There are two of them actually. You can see them from the interstate. Eye sores, really.

 

Costs in the billions for development and seem to be useless. Some people are worried they'll be used for domestic surveillance.

 

If they want to survail me with that thing, have at it. From what I've read, I'll spot it well before it ever spots me. That is if I don't have my back turned to it and it crash lands on my noggin.

If they want to survail me with that thing, have at it. From what I've read, I'll spot it well before it ever spots me. That is if I don't have my back turned to it and it crash lands on my noggin.

 

Well, they are tethered to the ground and float at 10,000 feet. Apparently it can "see" all the way to down to Richmond and all the way up to New York.

Well, they are tethered to the ground and float at 10,000 feet. Apparently it can "see" all the way to down to Richmond and all the way up to New York.

 

Well then it must need better lenses because if it can't recognize aircraft (as the above article claimes) I sure as hell wouldn't trust it to do anything useful.

Well, the blimp is in trouble now; it's been grounded.

Well, the blimp is in trouble now; it's been grounded.

 

Poor thing. It's probably about to lose its livelihood. Air.

The Patriots came to let a little air out to get it down

I think the Blimp is actually used as a platform to test the missile warning system. I read something about them a while back. I think the actual system would be mounted on planes or ships and the blimp is for testing only...or at least the story I read a while back said something along those lines.