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Pentagon Tracking High-Altitude Surveillance Balloon in US Airspace

The United States Department of Defense said on Thursday, February 2, it had detected and was tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon in US airspace.

The Pentagon said the balloon was traveling well above commercial air traffic and did not "present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.

“Instances of this kind of balloon activity have been observed previously over the past several years,” the Pentagon said. “Once the balloon was detected, the [US] government acted immediately to protect against the collection of sensitive information.”

According to an Associated Press report, “One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.”

Footage taken by journalist John Martin in Billings, Montana, captured an unusual object visible in the sky amid reports of sightings in the area.

Storyful could not independently verify the object. Credit: John Martin via Storyful

Video Transcript

JOHN MARTIN: OK. That's the moon. It's a little fuzzy out here. And it's a kind of a cruddy phone, but it's slightly overcast.

But what the heck is that? That's not the sun. And according to my little planet guide, it's not a planet. What the heck is that? Any help would be appreciated.

OK. That's the moon. It's a little fuzzy out here. And it's a kind of a cruddy phone, but it's slightly overcast.

But what the heck is that? That's not the sun. And according to my little planet guide, it's not a planet. What the heck is that? Any help would be appreciated.

OK. That's the moon. It's a little fuzzy out here. And it's a kind of a cruddy phone, but it's slightly overcast.

But what the heck is that? That's not the sun. And according to my little planet guide, it's not a planet. What the heck is that? Any help would be appreciated.