Mechanical, Design Problems Caused Blimp Incident

Mechanical and design problems caused a JLENS aerostat to break free from its moorings in Maryland last year, remaining aloft and uncontrolled until it settled down in a rural area of Pennsylvania. “Design, human and procedural issues all contributed to the incident,” said Michael Kucharek of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), in a statement published by The Hill newspaper Feb. 12. NORAD owned the JLENS, a tethered blimp meant to be equipped with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) payloads. The blimp was undergoing tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., when lost pressure in a tailfin caused it to become untethered.