Congress has expressed its dissatisfaction with the Defense Department's embattled radar blimp program, giving the program just $10.5 million in the massive spending bill agreed to this week.

The Obama administration had asked for $40.5 million for the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) system, which includes a fire-control blimp and a surveillance blimp.

The system, however, faced an embarrassing setback in October, when the fire-control blimp broke loose from its ground tether at a military base in Maryland and drifted over central Pennsylvania before it was grounded.

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The blimps were undergoing an operational exercise in Maryland, but the exercise was suspected after the October incident. Congress explained the budget cut is due to the "test schedule delay."