(TheRedWire.com) – The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is reportedly tracking another high-altitude balloon that has been spotted traversing over Hawaii and heading to Mexico.
The balloon was detected by the DoD and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on April 28 and was reportedly flying at around 36,000 feet. It is not yet known who the unmanned balloon belongs to and there is currently no information on whether it is being controlled in its movement by an adversarial actor.
During the balloon’s travels over Hawaii, it did not travel over any important infrastructure used for defensive purposes, or other government-sensitive sites in the area. A spokesman, further added, that based on the information they currently have, the balloon was flying at the same altitude as civil aviation but it did not pose any threats.
It was further noted that the Secretary of Defense has advised no action to be taken against the balloon other than the continuous tracking of its whereabouts.
This is not the first balloon flying over the U.S. this year. In early February a Chinese surveillance balloon traversed over the continental U.S. and particularly over a sensitive site in Montana. The balloon was later shot down following the Biden administration’s instruction off the coast of South Carolina.
Chinese officials have maintained that the reaction of the U.S. was extreme and that this was just a civilian craft that had drifted away, however, U.S. officials have maintained it was a surveillance balloon that reportedly sent information to Beijing in real-time.
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