Army blimp wreaks havoc in Maryland

A hi-tech US military blimp designed to detect a missile attack came loose and wreaked havoc as it floated from Maryland into Pennsylvania while dragging more than 1km of cable and knocking out power to thousands.

The US military scrambled two armed F-16 fighter jets to keep watch as the massive blimp travelled into civilian airspace after coming untethered from its base at Aberdeen Proving Ground, a US Army facility 65km north of Baltimore.

Pentagon officials said they were unsure why the 73m-long blimp broke free.

Officials wrestled for hours over the best way to bring it down safely, but eventually it deflated on its own.

The blimp, part of a €2.5bn Army program, landed in a rural, wooded area in Exchange, Pennsylvania, about 240km north of the Aberdeen Proving Ground.

John Thomas, a spokesman for Columbia County emergency agency, said there were no reports of injuries. Pennsylvania police and military officials guarded a wide safety perimeter around the blimp, which settled amid farmland in the remote area.

The blimp’s travels caused widespread damage, officials said, 30,000 Pennsylvania residents were without power at one point.

The blimp’s travels were a sensation on social media, with hashtags like #Blimpflood and #Blimpmemes ranking among the top trending topics.