Second Blimp on the Way to Maryland Skies

Have you seen a mysterious white blimp hovering between Baltimore and Harford counties?

What looks like a “giant goldfish cracker,” according to local meteorologist Justin Berk, is a military device that deployed Dec. 27, 2014, and will soon have a mate above Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Called “aerostats,” the helium-filled airships can detect missiles, drones and rockets using a special sensor system. They are supposed to fix a gap in the nation’s security against cruise missiles from other countries offshore, CBS News reported.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command is testing the aerostats at Aberdeen Proving Ground, where both will be moored in the Graces Quarters area, to survey the national capitol region for threats from 10,000 feet above the ground. Their coverage area spans from New York to North Carolina to Ohio.

If a threat is detected, the second blimp will feed the information from the sensor to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which deploys air-based, ground-based or computer-driven systems to neutralize the danger, according to the U.S. Army.

Defense officials say the second blimp will go up six weeks after the first, which means it’s cleared for takeoff around Feb. 7. However, ABC 2 News reports it will not go airborne until the spring.

The aerostats “cannot see people and do not have cameras onboard,” according to defense contractor Raytheon, which designed the aerostats. They detect objects like missiles, unmanned aircrafts, ground targets and swarming boats, according to Raytheon.

Related:

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

The cost of deploying the pair of blimps is five to seven times less than using a fleet of aircrafts to do the job, Air Force Times reports.

A team from Fort Bragg, NC, relocated to Aberdeen to oversee the program, APG News reported. Approximately 130 people have been trained to operate the aerostats at the proving ground, Raytheon reported.

The aerostat program at Aberdeen Proving Ground will end Sept. 30, 2017, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.