Raytheon(WASHINGTON) — A military blimp has gotten loose in Maryland and was floating towards Pennsylvania, authorities said. Fighter jets were scrambled in the wake of the incident to escort the unmanned vessel, according to officials.
A fire department in Maryland first reported that the Aberdeen Blimp, known as JLENS became untethered just before noon Wednesday. It has passed Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and was flying towards the northeast at 15,000 feet, officials said.
The blimp from @USAGAPG has come off its tether. If you see it on the ground, call 911. Here’s what it looks like. pic.twitter.com/mRHhpJdfHU
— Joppa-Magnolia VFC (@jmvfc8) October 28, 2015
“Emergency personnel are tracking the aerostat which is still aloft in [sic] moving toward Pennsylvania,” according to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, the U.S. Army facility.
The full name of the blimp — known as an aerostat — is a Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) and it is used to detect cruise missiles around Washington, D.C.
“It enables protection from a wide variety of threats to include manned and unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles, and surface moving targets like swarming boats and tanks,” said a statement from NORAD.
The balloon, which does not carry arms, is part of a system that is tethered at 10,000 feet in the air to detect threats.
Two F-16 fighter jets have been scrambled to monitor the blimp and NORAD has reported that they are working with the FAA to make sure that the blimp’s unexpected tour won’t impact air travel.
Officials say the balloon has no way of landing on its own.
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