At Least One Committee Zeroed Out The Controversial Aerostat

It looks like the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) program will not make the cut in the coming year's defense budget.

Of the four congressional committees that are crafting the defense budget for the coming year, one, the Senate Appropriations Committee, zeroed out the aerostat that was intended to help detect and track missiles heading inbound to Washington D.C. The Army said it was also capable of detecting swarming boats and other vehicles.

But one of the airships flying over the Aberdeen Proving Ground near Baltimore, MD broke its tether last fall and flew several hundred miles, knocking out power in Maryland and Pennsylvania with the trailing tether before finally landing in a field.

The other committees retained a small fraction of President Obama's requested budget for the program, likely for the purpose of closing it out.

Congressional support for JLENS dried up after the runaway incident.

Funding for Raytheon's JLENS had been cut in fiscal year 2016 as well, so the Army has had the system in storage rather than flying. Now, it appears that it will be shelved for good.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.raytheon.com/capabilities/products/jlens