President Biden said Thursday that the three objects the US shot down most recently while flying over North America likely had nothing to do with Chinese spying but had perhaps been launched by private companies or research institutions ... or the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade? Aviation Week floats the possibility the club's "silver-coated, party-style, 'pico balloon'" was what a US F-22 shot down over Canada's Yukon Territory on Feb. 11. The balloon is MIA, and the last data the club has on its position is from Feb. 10, when it was off Alaska's west coast. One forecasting tool puts the balloon's likely position the following day in the same vicinity as the unidentified object.
Aviation Week speaks with enthusiasts who say the trio of unspecified objects were likely pico balloons, which generally cost in the range of $12 to $180. As the Washington Post explains, they're "Mylar balloons that can be little larger than a balloon for a children’s party. Inflate with helium, attach a transmitter, and the balloon can stay aloft for months or years, buffeted by the wind." Indeed, the NIBBB's balloon was launched from Illinois 123 days before it went missing. The head of a Silicon Valley pico balloon manufacturer says he tried to clue the military and FBI in on "what a lot of these things probably are. And they’re going to look not too intelligent to be shooting them down." Indeed, New York Magazine notes the Sidewinder missile that took out the object on Feb. 11 was worth $472,000. (More balloon stories.)
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