Photo: Getty Images
Since March of 2021, over 350 new reports of “unidentified aerial phenomenon,” (UAP) also known as UFOs, have been reported to the U.S. Government. On Thursday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated that over half of them are still "unexplained."
The Pentagon, who is responsible for tracking and studying UFO reports, has preliminary identified 163 of the sightings as "balloon or balloon entities." Others have been attributed to drones, birds, weather events or airbornd debris. The majority of the reports came from US Navy and Air Force pilots, who according to the Pentagon, “witnessed UAP during the course of their operational duties and reported the events.”
Of the reports that have not been explained, the Pentagon says “Some of these uncharacterized UAP appear to have demonstrated unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities and require further analysis.”
The recent National Intelligence Office report indicates a dramatic increase in reported incidents, which investigators partially atrribute to “a better understanding of the possible threats that UAP may represent, either as safety of flight hazards or as potential adversary collection platforms” and in part due to “reduced stigma surrounding UAP reporting.” The report also warned that UAP “pose a safety of flight and collision hazard to air assets” that could require pilots to “adjust flight patterns,” but no collisions have been reported between US aircraft and UAP thus far.
According to data from the National UFO Reporting Center, California is the most active US state for UFO sightings, with more than twice the number (15,401), reported that anywhere else in America.