Feb 24, 2024
US Says Balloon Tracked by Fighter Jets Was Probably Hobby Craft
Bloomberg News
,![A Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35A jet flies during a training mission in Hill Air Force Base, Utah, U.S., on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Lockheed Martin Corp.'s accelerating revenue growth outlook is boosted by its recent portfolio moves, which are enabling the world's largest defense contractor to better capitalize on higher foreign demand. Rising F-35 production is a key driver, as deliveries are to double by 2019 vs. current levels. Photographer: George Frey/Bloomberg, Bloomberg A Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35A jet flies during a training mission in Hill Air Force Base, Utah, U.S., on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. Lockheed Martin Corp.'s accelerating revenue growth outlook is boosted by its recent portfolio moves, which are enabling the world's largest defense contractor to better capitalize on higher foreign demand. Rising F-35 production is a key driver, as deliveries are to double by 2019 vs. current levels. Photographer: George Frey/Bloomberg](/polopoly_fs/1.2038831.1708813764!/fileimage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/a-lockheed-martin-corp-f-35a-jet-flies-during-a-training-mission-in-hill-air-force-base-utah-u-s-on-friday-oct-21-2016-lockheed-martin-corp-s-accelerating-revenue-growth-outlook-is-boosted-by-its-recent-portfolio-moves-which-are-enabling-the-world-s-largest-defense-contractor-to-better-capitalize-on-higher-foreign-demand-rising-f-35-production-is-a-key-driver-as-deliveries-are-to-double-by-2019-vs-current-levels-photographer-george-frey-bloomberg.jpg)
(Bloomberg) -- A suspected hobbyist balloon that was intercepted by fighter jets over Utah has left US airspace, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Saturday.
The overflight, first reported Friday by CBS News, drew attention in light of last February’s uproar over an alleged Chinese spy balloon that crossed the US, leading to a chill in US-China relations. China denied that the balloon was a spy craft.
After US fighters scrambled on Friday, NORAD and the Federal Aviation Administration coordinated to monitor the “likely hobby balloon” via ground radars until it left US airspace overnight. NORAD has “no additional information on the balloon,” according to the statement.
Defense officials determined there was no threat from the balloon, which floated across parts of Colorado and Utah on Friday, CBS News reported. NORAD detected the balloon at altitudes between 43,000 feet (13,106 meters) and 45,000 feet, according to Associated Press.
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