JLENS blimp launching in a few days to spy on Americans from Boston to North Carolina

12/17/2014 - 00:00

  BY <a href="https://firstlook.org/theintercept/staff/dan-froomkin/">DAN FROOMKIN</a> |  <a href="https://twitter.com/@froomkin">@froomkin</a><br><br>In just a few days, the Army will launch the first of two massive blimps over Maryland, the last gasp of an 18-year-long $2.8-billion Army project intended to use giant airships to defend against cruise missiles.<br><br>And while the blimps may never stave off a barrage of enemy missiles, their ability to spot and track cars, trucks and boats hundreds of miles away is raising serious privacy concerns.<br><br><a href="https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/12/17/billion-dollar-surveillance-blimp-launch-maryland/">READ MORE ON THE INTERCEPT</a>