US intelligence is studying more than 500 reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), according to a report yesterday, Thursday, indicating that a large number of these objects are nothing but drones or balloons, while the nature of about 100 of them is still unknown.
At least 247 unknown atmospheric phenomena have been observed since the last report issued by the US intelligence in June 2021, in which it stated that it was studying at that time 144 reports of unidentified flying objects.
The report pointed out that 119 reports of mysterious flying objects were recorded, which were discovered in old archives dating back more than 20 years, bringing the total number of reports to 510.
US intelligence indicated that most of the new phenomena were monitored by elements of the US Navy and US Air Force.
About 200 of these phenomena met with normal explanations, whether they were just balloons, drones, birds, weather-related phenomena, or plastic bags floating in the air.
But no explanation has yet been given for other objects, according to the intelligence report, which is an unclassified version of the report issued by Congress.
In May 2022, a House Intelligence Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation held a hearing on UFOs in the Capitol Building in Washington.
Scott Bray, Deputy Director of US Naval Intelligence, testified before the committee that discussed "unidentified atmospheric phenomena", in an open hearing that was the first in Congress on "UFOs" in more than half a century.
Unexplained objects are under scrutiny from the Pentagon, US intelligence and the US Space Agency (NASA), for fear that they are spying tools belonging to adversaries.
The report, which was issued on Thursday, confirmed that "weather phenomena of an unspecified nature continue to pose a threat to aviation safety, and represent a potential threat in the field of intelligence gathering" from hostile countries.
And in June, NASA announced that it had launched an investigation for several months centering on these flying objects that move in the atmosphere, either naturally or very quickly.
In November 2021, the Pentagon established an office charged with collecting and analyzing information on flying objects, in the face of increasing pressure from Congress in this regard.
Washington is concerned about China's spying capabilities through the use of drones or other flying objects.
"We take reports of violations of our land, sea and airspace very seriously and are analyzing each one," Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder said in a statement.