At this point, the JLENS blimp that broke free from Aberdeen Proving Ground has been officially reported as downed west of Bloomsburg, PA. It had a 6,700 Ft cable dangling from it as it flew more than 100 miles north. As with any breaking new story, there has been sketchy updates and confusion for about an hour whether it was caught in power lines, down, or still aloft. It appears it has been downed AND it has taken out power lines while losing helium in the process. It did result in power outages for thousands around Bloomsburg University. I wanted to share a few photos here to make sure they got their proper original credit. I have received these images from multiple people improperly taking credit. Please consider that as more images surface online and might not credit the real source. Also, some might not even be legit, especially the ones with tom Brady. But many did want to give him credit for the deflation. These photos below are real, and the raw video below is as well.
Dangerous:
The fact that it was flying on a windy day is itself an important question. This storm was expected for days. But the original report I had on this program was that it would fly in good weather. So there is more to find out, such as was this in flight or on the ground when it broke free?
The winds aloft were pushing it from the south to north at 40 to 50 mph while it was carrying a cable more than a mile long. See the route and upper level winds that led to the three hour, 100 mile long flight.
Cost:
Each JLENS blimp costs the US military $182 Million. The entire program is $2.7 Billion!
Tracking towards Orangeville PA from Holly Starr
Downed And Delfated Near Muncy, PA From Nikki Krize
Raw AP Video Over Bloomsburg University
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