UFO shot down by U.S. fighter jets amid ongoing hysteria sparked by a Chinese spy balloon may have been a $12 inflatable launched by a hobby group in Illinois. An (unrelated to this story) example Amateur Radio Pico Balloon launched by a Naval Academy (www.rtl-sdr.com / @Skyrocket71)If that is what happened, it would mean the US military expended a missile costing $439,000 (£365,000) to fell an innocuous hobby balloon worth about $12 (£10). According to Aviation Week, they are small hobby balloons starting at about $12 that allow enthusiasts to combine their interests in high-altitude ballooning and ham radio in an affordable way. (theguardian.com)An unidentified object shot down by U.S. fighter jets using a $400,000 Sidewinder missile could have been a balloon launched by an Illinois-based hobby group. (dailymail.co.uk)A model of the hobby balloon's projected path shows it was headed for Yukon, Canada, where an unidentified object was shot down.

Source: The Guardian February 18, 2023 16:20 UTC