US intelligence is investigating more than 500 reports of unidentified flying objects, the infamous UFOs, detailing a report released Thursday that said while many turn out to be drones or balloons, the nature of about 100 remains unknown.
At least 247 unidentified aerial phenomena have been reported since the Directorate of Intelligence Services (DNI) last reported in June 2021, showing it was already investigating 144.
To this number are added 119 cases of the appearance of mysterious planes, unearthed from ancient archives accumulated over the course of twenty years, making a total of 510 incidents, according to the report.
Most of the new phenomena were observed by the US Navy and US pilots. Air Force, notes US intelligence.
Among these incidents, almost 200 had a completely banal explanation. They were either due to balloons, drones or air pollution, i.e. birds, weather events or plastic bags floating in the wind.
But others have no explanation, according to the DNI’s summary, a non-confidential version of the report submitted to Congress.
The latter are under intense scrutiny from the Pentagon, US intelligence agencies and Nasa, not for fear that they are alien vehicles but for fear of the unknown spying capabilities of rival countries.
“Unidentified aerial phenomena continue to pose a risk to flight safety and pose a potential threat to intelligence gathering from hostile countries,” the report points out.
In June, NASA announced the start of a multi-month investigation into the presence of these objects, which, for example, move unusually or very quickly in our atmosphere and which cannot be explained according to our current state of knowledge. .
For its part, the Pentagon established an office in November 2021 to be responsible for collecting and analyzing all information about UFOs, in the face of increasing pressure from Congress on the issue.
Washington is particularly concerned about China’s spying capabilities using drones or other aerial vehicles.
“We take reports of incursions on our land, sea or airspace very seriously and analyze every one of them,” Pentagon spokesman Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement Thursday.