Congress support keeps JLENS aerostat aloft

Lawmakers Stand Behind Troubled Missile Defense System | Military.com

Congress faces a Dec. 11 deadline to cut $5 billion from President Barack Obama's proposed military budget, and some programs are at risk. But lawmakers from both parties are standing behind JLENS, despite its well-documented deficiencies.

A 2012 report by the Pentagon's Operational Test and Evaluation Office faulted the system in four "critical performance areas" and rated its reliability as "poor." In its most recent assessment, in 2013, the agency again cited serious deficiencies and said JLENS had "low system reliability."


For some, JLENS' continued survival defies understanding. In a Nov. 19 essay posted on the website of the nonprofit Project on Government Oversight, former Marine officer Dan Grazier wrote, "It is unclear what, if anything, can actually kill this program."

Related/Background:

• Military suspending JLENS blimp program - Business Insider 
• This Is How The Army's Loose $2.7 Billion Radar Blimp JLENS Was Supposed To Work 
• Report: JLENS Airship Not Meeting Expectations | Aero-News Network
• JLENS Ramps Up Hard: Raytheon wins $1.3B Contract 
• spendergast: U.S. Army's JLENS Aerostat Radar System demos NORAD interoperability
• spendergast: US Army places JLENS Aerostat radar in strategic readiness 
• ▶ Giant Radar Blimp Time-Lapse • Inflating The JLENS - YouTube
• U.S. Army plans to use blimps JLENS system to protect Washington D.C. against cruise missiles - YouTube
  
  
  
  
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