Balloons, ‘objects’ – what’s in the sky above the US?

– The United States military shot down a flurry of objects this month: a large object it identified as a Chinese surveillance balloon followed by three smaller objects that the government said might be “benign”.

The airborne objects were drifting through airspace increasingly crowded with commercial and amateur balloons, drones and possible aerial surveillance craft belonging to adversaries. Their rising numbers pose a challenge to aviators and government agencies. Experts say that while heavy commercial balloons must meet strict Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, lighter amateur balloons are exempt from most rules, and the FAA might not be able to track them.

Military and intelligence officials found no evidence that the three smaller objects were conducting surveillance for another country, and they were not sending communication signals, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a White House briefing on Monday.