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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Escaped US defence blimp grounded | Escaped US defence blimp grounded |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A US military blimp designed to detect a missile attack that came loose from its mooring is on the ground and secure, state police say. | A US military blimp designed to detect a missile attack that came loose from its mooring is on the ground and secure, state police say. |
| The aerostat landed in Muncy, Pennsylvania, after floating for three hours with two fighter jets on its tail. | |
| The blimp caused about 18,000 power outages as it dragged its tether line, taking down electricity cables. | The blimp caused about 18,000 power outages as it dragged its tether line, taking down electricity cables. |
| It is not known how the 200ft-long (61m) aircraft came loose in Maryland. | |
| Known as a Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS), it has been criticised by privacy advocates. | Known as a Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS), it has been criticised by privacy advocates. |
| A recent investigation by the Baltimore Sun found the programme had been "hobbled by defective software, vulnerability to bad weather and poor reliability". | A recent investigation by the Baltimore Sun found the programme had been "hobbled by defective software, vulnerability to bad weather and poor reliability". |
| Two Twitter parody accounts - one which had been tweeting as the blimp for several years - reacted quickly. | Two Twitter parody accounts - one which had been tweeting as the blimp for several years - reacted quickly. |
| "Peace out losers," one said. | "Peace out losers," one said. |
| The blimp system is also used in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to provide ground surveillance around US bases and other sensitive sites. | The blimp system is also used in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to provide ground surveillance around US bases and other sensitive sites. |
| "My understanding is, from having seen these break loose in Afghanistan on a number of occasions, we could get it to descend and then we'll recover it and put it back up," Defence Secretary Ash Carter told reporters. "This happens in bad weather." | "My understanding is, from having seen these break loose in Afghanistan on a number of occasions, we could get it to descend and then we'll recover it and put it back up," Defence Secretary Ash Carter told reporters. "This happens in bad weather." |