Brand New High-Altitude Balloon Flying Over Western U.S., Military Tracking

No, this is NOT an old article…

They’re back!

Remember those “high altitude balloons” Joe Biden allowed to fly all over the continental USA last year?

They’re back.

DEVELOPING: The U.S. is tracking a high-altitude balloon flying over the Western part of the country, U.S. officials told CBS News. https://t.co/Ma4XHtFQ5h

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 23, 2024

🚨#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

From CBS News:

The U.S. is tracking a high-altitude balloon flying over the Western part of the country, U.S. officials told CBS News. Military aircraft have spotted the balloon and determined it is not a threat, but its origin and purpose are still unknown, the officials said.

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Sources familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the balloon was drifting east in the jetstream on Friday. Earlier in the day, one official said the balloon was over Colorado. Its presence prompted enough concern that the military sent aircraft to investigate.

The developments come one year after tensions between the U.S. and China ratcheted to new heights after a Chinese balloon carrying sophisticated spying equipment flew over the continental U.S. for several days.

The Chinese foreign ministry claimed that the balloon was meant to collect weather data and had “deviated far from its planned course” due to high winds. The U.S. military ultimately shot it down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, 2023, and recovered the wreckage.

The spy balloon became a political headache for President Biden, who faced criticism from Republicans over his decision to allow it to transit over the U.S. for nearly a week before ordering it shot down. Biden officials said they waited until it was off the coast to minimize the risk to civilians on the ground. But lawmakers questioned why it couldn’t have been brought down when it was near Alaska’s coast, before crossing the U.S.

Though the Pentagon eventually concluded the balloon did not transmit information back to China (WLTR Editor’s Note: does anyone honestly believe this?), its presence put the U.S. military on high alert for other objects in U.S. airspace. Fighter jets shot down several unidentified objects over the U.S. and Canada over the following weeks.

Collin Rugg had more details plus video:

JUST IN: The U.S. military is tracking a high-altitude ballon over Colorado according to U.S. officials who spoke with CBS News.

Military aircraft spotted the balloon and claim it is "not a threat."

Officials are looking into the purpose of balloon. The U.S. has sent military… pic.twitter.com/Ib3iZQ7MuJ

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 23, 2024

We will continue to monitor this story as it develops….