WASHINGTON — A small and nonthreatening balloon spotted flying high over the mountainous Western United States was intercepted by fighter jets over Utah on Friday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
NORAD fighter pilots sent Friday morning to investigate the balloon determined it was not maneuverable and did not present a threat to national security, spokesperson John Cornelio said.
There has been heightened interest in reports of balloons flying over the U.S. after the military identified – and eventually shot down — a Chinese spy balloon that crossed much of the country last year. But officials say the balloon intercepted Friday was not sent by a foreign adversary and poses no threat to aviation or U.S. security. NORAD has not revealed where the balloon came from or why it was seen flying over Utah and Colorado.
U.S. officials last year shot down the large, white Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina after a weeklong traverse over the country that the Pentagon said was part of a large surveillance program China has been conducting for “several years." China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”
NORAD is continuing to work in close coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration to track and monitor the balloon detected at an altitude of about 44,000 feet (13,400 meters), Cornelio said.
Early reports that the military has been tracking a balloon over the Western U.S. raised some concern among lawmakers, including from U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale from Montana, who said their offices were monitoring its movement.