of the U.S. Navy. In February 2012, four months after its formal acceptance by the Navy, the MZ-3A airship was at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. It was planned to be deflated and stored, and the program suspended until future missions warranted its re-activation. In March 2012, days after the decision to suspend, the program got a reprieve for at least another 3–6 months of operations. The MZ-3A was still in operation as of March 2013, providing C4ISR capabilities demonstrations in Florida for U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet. In October 2017, the MZ-3A was sold by the Navy, being purchased by the Florida-based AirSign Airship Group. See also List of airships of the United States Navy Notes References Navy Lakehurst Historical Society, "The Airship," April–May 2007, "Navy LATV Unit Honors NLHS, pg 5 Naval Airship Association, "The Noon Balloon" Summer 2006, "After 44 Years, Lakehurst Back in Lighter-Than-Air Flight Research," posted by the Asbury Park Press, 5 September 2006, by Kirt More, Toms River Bureau, pgs 8–10. External links The Noon Balloon (Naval Airship Association) DoD designation system addendum listing MA-3Z Local press coverage of start of MZ-3A program 2000s United States experimental aircraft Airships of the United States Navy Deepwater Horizon oil spill MZ-3 Twin-engined pusher aircraft Ducted fan-powered aircraft