Throwback Thursday -- JLENS

Welcome to Throwback Thursday, Inside Defense's weekly look back at what was happening on or around this day in years past.

In late October 2014, military officials were touting the safety features of the Army surveillance blimp known as the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Elevated Netted Sensor System, or JLENS.

A U.S. Northern Command spokeswoman told Inside the Army at the time that the military did not expect to fly JLENS during severe weather and had "reinforced" the aerostat with stronger ground tackle.

Yet, on Wednesday, the JLENS program made national news after one aerostat "detached from its mooring station" at Aberdeen Proving Ground and traveled to Pennsylvania.

Full story: Officials unworried about safety ahead of blimp flight near Washington