F-16s Have Been Scrambled To Track A Massive U.S. Army Blimp On The Loose Over Pennsylvania

NBC: Fighter Jets Track Military Blimp Drifting Over Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON — North American Aerospace Defense Command officials tell NBC News that an unmanned Army surveillance blimp that tore loose from its ground tether in Maryland and drifted north is now 16,000 feet over Wilmington, Pennsylvania.

Two F-16 fighter jets, scrambled from Atlantic City, are tracking the blimp's course.

The officials say, as of now, the blimp, which is two football fields long and is trailing more than a mile of heavy cable, is holding at a steady altitude and course and presents no imminent threat to any populated areas. NORAD is working closely with the FAA to keep commercial airlines informed of the blimp's location to avoid any close calls. Ground controllers at Aberdeen Proving Ground, where the blimp broke free of its mooring, do have the ability to deflated the helium-filled blimp which could then slowly and presumably safely descend to the ground.

More News On A U.S. Army Blimp On The Loose Over Pennsylvania

Fighter jets track military blimp drifting over Pennsylvania -- AP
Runaway U.S. military blimp protecting DC now over Pennsylvania -- Reuters
The military lost control of a giant, unmanned surveillance blimp -- Washington Post
JLENS Spy Blimp Is on The Loose -- Defense News
Military Blimp Breaks Free From Tether in Maryland -- ABC News
F-16s tracking Army blimp on the loose -- Air Force Times
Fighter jets tracking loose Army blimp over US airspace -- The Hill
This Is How The Army's Loose $2.7 Billion Radar Blimp JLENS Was Supposed To Work -- Foxtrot Alpha
BREAKING: US Military Blimp Loose Over Pennsylvania, F-16s Scrambled -- Defense one
Army Blimp Goes Out of Control, Menacing Towns and Thrilling America -- Daily Beast
243-Foot Military Blimp Breaks Free, Causing Power Outages in Pennsylvania -- Newsweek
A Huge Army Blimp Is on the Loose, Could Be Shot Down -- Popular Mechanics