Blimp at Aberdeen Proving Ground Launching Soon

A blimp the size of a football field will go airborne soon from Aberdeen Proving Ground, visible from Interstate 95 in Baltimore and Harford Counties, according to WJZ.

The helium-filled device is designed to detect cruise missiles in cities like New York, Washington and Baltimore, according to the U.S. Army.

Technically called an “aerostat,” it will survey area from New York to North Carolina to Ohio for missiles, drones and rockets at a cost five to seven times less than using a fleet of aircrafts, Air Force Times reports.

If a threat were detected, the aerostat would feed that information into the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which could deploy air-based, ground-based or computer-driven systems to take down the missiles, according to the U.S. Army.

The military reportedly selected Aberdeen for its FAA-restricted airspace and facilities.

Two aerostats will deploy from Graces Quarters, according to the U.S. Army.

The first aerostat will go up next week, tethered to a concrete pad at Aberdeen Proving Ground, with a second launching from a concrete pad 4 miles away in the spring, theAssociated Press reported. One will continuously survey the area, while another will be equipped with a radar, according to the Associated Press.

Neither will have cameras on board, according to Fox News.

The units are part of a three-year test to see how well they can be integrated with defense technology systems to protect a large area, according to the U.S. Army.

The project has cost $2.8 million so far, and Congress approved $43.3 million last week for the test, Air Force Times reported.

Military officials told Fox that the project designers took “great care” to make sure the eagle population at Aberdeen Proving Ground, as well as environmentally sensitive areas like wetlands, would be protected.

Related:

• Blimps to Fly Over Aberdeen for 3 Years
• Could Aberdeen’s Surveillance Blimps Spy on Everyday People?
• Congressman: APG Selected for Missile Surveillance Program
• Aberdeen Proving Ground Proposed as Site for Surveillance Balloons

Pictured, the aerostat which will be tethered at Graces Quarters at Aberdeen Proving Ground at an altitude of 10,000 feet. Photo Credit: C. Todd Lopez/U.S. Army.