The United States military has revealed new information about another unidentified balloon recently spotted over Hawaii. Officials stated that the unmanned balloon was detected at an altitude of 36,000 feet on April 28th, but there were no indications that it posed any threat to national security or critical infrastructure. The balloon’s ownership is still unknown, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense have applied newly-established parameters for monitoring the airspace to track it.
Despite flying at an altitude commonly used for civil aviation, the balloon was not deemed a danger to the public and is reported to have flown past Hawaii without posing any threat to people on the ground. The Secretary of Defense and military commanders all agreed that no action was needed, and the balloon is now out of Hawaiian airspace and no longer a concern. It is believed that the object is currently headed towards Mexico, but further details about its trajectory or purpose are yet to be revealed.
“Applying newly-established parameters for monitoring U.S. airspace, the Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) detected and observed April 28th an unmanned, balloon off the coast of Hawaii, floating at approximately 36,000 feet,” a DOD spokesperson said in a statement.
“Ownership of the balloon is unknown, but there is no indication that it was maneuvering or being controlled by a foreign or adversarial actor,” the statement claimed. “The balloon did not transit directly over defense critical infrastructure or other U.S. Government sensitive sites, nor did it pose a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”
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“Based on these observations, the Secretary of Defense concurred with the recommendation of his military commanders that no action need be taken against the balloon,” the statement concluded. “The balloon is now out of Hawaii’s airspace and territorial waters.”
This sighting follows an incident in February when a Chinese spy balloon flew over American airspace, collecting data from sensitive American military sites. Biden officials initially claimed that the balloon did not transmit any information, but a report has since contradicted these claims, stating that China received sensitive data from the spy balloon. The balloon was subsequently shot down over the Atlantic Ocean, and three more unidentified objects have since been taken down over Alaska, Lake Huron, and Canada.