Cary Willis, leader of the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade, formed by a group of friends two years ago
An Illinois amateur balloon club said Friday it believes its $13 weather balloon may actually be the “unidentified object” shot down over Canada’s Yukon Territory a week ago, confirming that the FBI was in contact have recorded.
The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade was formed two years ago by a group of 10 friends whose name is derived from the children’s film Up.
About four months ago, they launched their balloon and tracked it as it hovered over Alaska. When a US F-22 was dispatched to shoot down an “unidentified object” flying over Canada’s wilderness on February 11, they lost contact.
“When I heard that [it was a] Silver object with a payload attached, this could be one of our balloons,” a member of the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade – who asked to remain anonymous – told POLITICO.
‘Think about it. We know where the balloon was off the Alaskan coast. We know where it was if everything was fine.
“We know it didn’t wake up this morning. We know they shot something down and what they described as shot down doesn’t match what we’re flying out there.
‘Well, that’s it.’
The group lost contact with their balloon just before the Canadian and US governments announced the downing of an “unidentified object.”
On February 4, a much larger balloon — thought to be a Chinese spy balloon (pictured) — was shot down off the coast of South Carolina
The group said an FBI official came to speak with them. The FBI has not commented.
Joe Biden said Thursday the balloon — one of three launched over three days over the past weekend — did not appear hostile.
“The intelligence community’s current assessment is that these three objects were most likely balloons tied to private corporations, recreation or research facilities studying the weather or conducting other scientific research,” Biden said.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Friday the US government may never find the balloon’s debris or know its true purpose.
“We didn’t recover it, so it’s very difficult until you get your hands on something to be able to say,” Kirby said.
“I mean we all have to accept the possibility that we might not be able to restore it.”
Kirby said shooting it down was still the right decision, even if it used a $400,000 Sidewinder rocket to launch a $13 balloon.
“Given the situation we were in, the information available and the recommendation of our military commanders, it was exactly the right thing to do at exactly the right time,” the Pentagon spokesman said.
“And honestly, given the circumstances given what happened with the spy balloon, wouldn’t that be a better outcome if it turns out it was actually for civilian or recreational purposes or weather balloons and was therefore benign, that’s what the.” secret services think.
“Isn’t that a better outcome than having to consider the possibility of greater threats to our national security?”
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby is seen February 13 briefing the press on the unidentified objects
An F-22 is pictured taking off. The Jets have been busy shooting balloons out of the sky for the past few weeks
Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade members said the balloon “might” be theirs — but they have no way of confirming that
The balloon group said it doesn’t blame the pilot and the Pentagon for the error — if indeed it did.
“If it doesn’t have Mickey Mouse ears and F-22 pilots have keen eyesight and can tell that, it’s not exactly clear what you’re seeing. But the point is, it’s not a long range at all,” to assume it’s the group’s balloon, the member said.
“I’m an American and I don’t want anything bad to happen to our country.
“If they don’t know, I’d rather they be wrong and shoot down $100 worth of balloon material than have something bad happen to Canada or the United States.”
Other members of the group are “not angry at all.”