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Here We Go Again: NORAD Fighter Jets Intercept Balloon Over Utah

Is this just another distraction or should we be concerned?

Published

3 months ago

February 23, 2024

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This article originally appeared on ZeroHedge and was republished with permission.

Guest post by Tyler Durden

Update (1747ET)

CBS News reports NORAD fighter jets intercepted a “small balloon” over “Utah at an altitude of 43,000 to 45,000 feet” earlier today.

An official told the media outlet that the balloon’s payload was not considered a national security threat.

NORAD confirms intercepting balloon. Fighters caught up with it over Utah between 43-45k feet. Deemed not a threat to air traffic.
Source describes the payload as ~2 foot cube under a Mylar balloon. Continues to move east fast thanks to a strong jet stream. NORAD statement: https://t.co/WKZExWRyKs pic.twitter.com/wgBsPONdEC
— Kris Van Cleave (@krisvancleave) February 23, 2024

Nothing to see here…

Utah – Home of the Utah Test and Training Range – "host to a variety of training and testing missions for the USAF, Army and Marine Corps. The site is frequently used for the disposal of explosive ordnance, testing of experimental military equipment, as well as ground and air… https://t.co/1B8hWF2sZu
— US Oil & Gas Association (@US_OGA) February 23, 2024

* * *

One year after a Chinese spy balloon drifted over the continental US for several days and was blown apart off the coast of South Carolina with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile by a fifth-generation fighter jet, a new report from CBS News indicates the US military is tracking a high-altitude balloon flying over the Western part of the country.

Sources familiar with the matter said the balloon was drifting towards the eastern part of the country on Friday. The balloon was over Colorado earlier in the day.

🚨#BREAKING: A U.S. Military aircraft is tracking a unidentified high-altitude balloon flying over the Western part of the United States

📌#UnitedStates | #USA

Currently, a U.S. military aircraft is tracking an unidentified high-altitude balloon flying over the western part of… pic.twitter.com/7qelsYbVhE
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 23, 2024

This has so far led the military to dispatch reconnaissance aircraft to investigate. There is no word on the balloon’s origin.

🚨 #BREAKING: The US government is reported to be tracking a “high altitude balloon” that was spotted by military planes, and is currently flying over Colorado.

Are we really doing this AGAIN?

They have not disclosed the origin or purpose of the balloon, but this is ODDLY… pic.twitter.com/TzuHeydTZS
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 23, 2024

On Feb. 4, 2023, a Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. The balloon drifted over the US for days, becoming a major headache for President Biden, who faced criticism from Republicans for allowing it to float across the country.

Looking at Bloomberg data, the number of “spy balloon” mentions in corporate media headlines erupted in early February last year. It was a media frenzy, and Americans were fixated on one thing for weeks: a Chinese spy balloon.