Blimp Claims Reach $300K, According to Reports

ABERDEEN, MD -- The blimp that escaped its mooring at Aberdeen Proving Ground’s Edgewood area remains grounded, but it’s still costing the government money.

So far, a dozen people have filed claims for damages totaling more than $300,000 after the blimp journeyed from Maryland to Pennsylvania at the end of October, according to WJZ.

The runaway blimp broke away from its mooring in Harford County on Oct. 28 and dragged its tether from Maryland to northeast Pennsylvania, reportedly knocking out power along the way.

Utility company PPL (Pennsylvania Power and Light), is likely to file a claim in the future for the cost of restoring power to 35,000 customers, according to PennLive, which reports claims may be filed for two years after the event.

• Pentagon Suspends Blimp Program
• Military Blimp Grounded in Pennsylvania: Officials
• Snapshots of Maryland Blimp’s Trip to Pennsylvania

Police had to shoot down part of the blimp, technically called an aerostat, in a difficult-to-access ravine, defense officials said, because it had not completely deflated, despite its manufacturer’s claim that it had built-in safety mechanisms for self-deflation.

The blimp that escaped its mooring at Aberdeen Proving Ground was one of a pair deployed to protect an area from North Carolina to Boston.

Together the blimps formed a program called JLENS—Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Netted Sensor System—intended to protect the region from objects like missiles, ground targets, swarming boats and unmanned aircraft.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command was conducting the three-year test, in which two blimps watched the region from 9,950 feet in the air, to see how the JLENS technology could fit in with existing defense systems.

Now the Pentagon has suspended the JLENS program indefinitely pending an investigation into Oct. 28 incident.

In mid-December Congress cut $30 million from the program, which is left with $10.5 million, Defense News reports. The spending bill cited a “test schedule delay” as the reason for the cut, according to the report.

Pictured, blimp recovery efforts in Pennsylvania. Photo Credit: NORAD.