Hobby Club’s Missing Balloon Feared Shot Down By USAF | Aviation Week Network

A small, globe-trotting balloon declared “missing in action” by an Illinois-based hobbyist club on Feb. 15 has emerged as a candidate to explain one of the three mystery objects shot down by four heat-seeking missiles launched by U.S. Air Force fighters since Feb. 10. The club—the Northern Illinois... Subscription Required This content requires a subscription to one of the Aviation Week Intelligen

[mmsuzuki]

“Medlin says he uses a foil balloon sold by Japanese company Yokohama for $12. The material has proven to be resilient for long periods at high altitude, he says, even if the manufacturer never intended the balloon to be used for that purpose. ”