The Pentagon said the latest high-altitude balloon spotted over the United States was a “probably hobbyist” airship, about a year after a Chinese reconnaissance balloon caused a controversy by flying over the U.S. mainland.
“After yesterday’s fighter jet intercept, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, monitored the balloon, believed to be a hobby balloon, using ground radar until it left U.S. airspace during the night.” The command (NORAD) said in a statement on Saturday. Statement reported by ABC News and others. No further information was immediately available.
NORAD first announced the high-altitude balloon on Friday, noting it was observed between about 43,000 feet and 45,000 feet.
“The balloon was intercepted by a NORAD fighter aircraft over Utah and determined to be uncontrollable and not a threat to national security. NORAD will continue to track and monitor the balloon,” NORAD said in a statement. “The FAA has also determined that the balloons do not pose a safety threat to flight. NORAD will continue to work closely with the FAA to ensure flight safety.”
Military tracks high-altitude balloon over western U.S.
In this image provided by the Department of Defense on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, a U.S. Air Force U-2 pilot looks down at a surveillance balloon believed to be from China hovering over the United States on February 3, 2023. (Department of Defense, via AP, File)
Interest in reports of balloon overflights has increased after the military identified and ultimately shot down a large white Chinese spy ship that crossed much of China last year. But officials said Friday that the balloons captured were not sent by a foreign enemy and do not pose a threat to aviation or U.S. national security, according to the Associated Press.
In this photo released by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a Russian Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft (top) is intercepted near the Alaskan coastline on Monday, March 9, 2020. (North American Aerospace Defense Command, via AP, File)
The Chinese reconnaissance plane flew from Alaska to the East Coast and was shot down by the military in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina on February 4, 2023. The Department of Defense stated in June: He said the Chinese balloons had “intelligence gathering capabilities” but were not collecting or transmitting data until they were shot down.
On February 4, 2023, an aircraft believed to be a Chinese reconnaissance balloon drifts into the ocean after being shot down off the coast of Surfside Beach, South Carolina. (Randall Hill/Reuters)
Intelligence agencies say Chinese ships are used as a spyThis is not a weather-related issue, as China has claimed.
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It is unclear why the spying mission appeared to have failed, but officials said intelligence agencies took steps to prevent data collection.
Fox News’ Bradford Betz, Liz Friden and Brie Stimson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
