Large White Balloon Spotted East of Hawaii, Pilots Advised

Although it is not clear when the initial balloon report was submitted to FAA, alerts regarding the balloon have been sent to pilots at least since 7:46 AM local time in Hawaii. This would be close to 10 hours ago.

The War Zone U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, (INDOPACOM), has been contacted to confirm that they are monitoring the object and have sent fighter planes to inspect it. We also reached the FAA in an effort to verify that there was indeed a balloon as described by the ACARS messages for pilots. We will notify you as soon as we receive information.

There is a lot of mystery surrounding the strategic islands. We reported on this anomaly almost a year ago. large balloon loitering off KauaiThe island is Hawaii’s largest and most northernmost. It is near a sensitive missile defense testing site. F-22s from Honolulu visited the balloon to inspect it, which caused quite a stir. This balloon was actually part of the Chinese spying program, which has been subsequently disposed off. Disclosed as having existed for yearsIt is a well-known operation with many operations located near or above the U.S. Territories. It has also been reported The balloon that was shot off South Carolina originally had the intention to pass over Guam or close by Hawaii.

We will hopefully get more information to confirm the existence and safety of the balloon. We will update this article with additional details as soon we have them.

UPDATE: 10:37 P.M. EST—

Just moments before the balloon disappeared from the tracker, a Navy P-8 Poseidon was moving in the same direction as the balloon. It was speeding at cruise altitude. Although we cannot confirm that the mission was to find the balloon and observe its movement, we can say it was in the correct direction. These types of routes are often used by P-8s to reposition themselves back to the United States, so it’s just a curiosity at best.

UPDATE: 3:36 A.M. EST—

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command sent us the following:

“U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is aware of the reports of a large white balloon by civilian aircraft. We are looking into the reports and have nothing additional at this time.”

This reply confirms that this is at most an issue of interest.

Thanks to radio enthusiasts, we now know that the P-8 did not return to the continent U.S.A. It instead traveled for six hours in the direction where the balloon was seen under ‘due respect’. This is where the aircraft’s commander assumes responsibility for keeping the vehicle from colliding with other traffic – hence its transponder being turned off.

Based on available information, it could be a special Poseidon P-8 that can be equipped for carrying one of the Most capable radars available on the planet In a ventral Canoe. This could be particularly useful in finding slow-moving targets such as a balloon. However, from what we know about the system, it is primarily an air-to surface type. Particularly capable of monitoring littoral areas. Regardless, if it is indeed one of these aircraft, it is one of the most capable intelligence-gathering platforms available.

It is not known if the mission it is on is related to the balloon. P-8s in any configuration can execute a variety of missions in this area. However, if the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is looking for the target, this would be an appropriate long-range asset to send to have a look.