Giant military blimps coming to Aberdeen

   The Army is bringing two giant blimps to Aberdeen Proving Ground.

 

   The military calls them aerostats. Each one is about 80 yards long -- nearly as big as a football field.

 

   U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger said Thursday that they are coming to Aberdeen as part of a cruise-missile defense system called JLENS. The military has been testing them in Utah and New Mexico for several years.

 

   Ruppersberger says the lighter-than-air craft will be tethered at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet. From that height, they use radar to look for incoming missiles, drones and rockets.

 

   He says Aberdeen was chosen partly because of its weapons-testing capability.

 

   Ruppersberger says 100 soldiers are moving to Aberdeen to support the system.