UFOINTEL
Other
Unclassified Complete
40027753-001-0018
National Archives and Records Administration
Confidence
85%
Credibility
80%
View original document ↗ hosted at the official government source
Intelligence summary
The document discusses the characteristics and behaviors of large balloons, particularly in relation to their appearance and movement, which can lead to misidentification as unidentified flying objects (UFOs). It also categorizes various phenomena that can be mistaken for UFOs.
Tags & topics
Locations referenced
| Location | Context | Confidence | Supporting text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control Center at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico | Incident Location | Unresolved | …de jet windstreams., These balloons sometimes appear to be flattened on top. At other times, they appear to be saucer Shaped and to have lights mounted inside |
| Control Center at Holloman Air Force Base | Incident Location | Unresolved | …de jet windstreams., These balloons sometimes appear to be flattened on top. At other times, they appear to be saucer Shaped and to have lights mounted inside |
Extracted timeline
Jun 16, 2026
Ingestion Date
Ingestion Date for 40027753-001-0018
Jun 16, 2026
Document Record Date
Document Record Date for 40027753-001-0018
Jun 16, 2026
Update Date
Update Date for 40027753-001-0018
Entities mentioned
Full document text
1,128 characters, transcribed via OCR. Errors reflect the source scan. Compare with the original ↗
diameters up to 300 feet. At night, balloons carry running lights which cause an unusual appearance
when observed. Reflection of the sun on balloons at dawn and sunset sometimes produces strange
effects. This usually occurs when the balloon, because of its altitudes, is exposed to the sun. Large
balloons can move at speeds of over 100 miles per hour when moving in high altitude jet windstreams.,
These balloons sometimes appear to be flattened on top. At other times, they appear to be saucer
Shaped and to have lights mounted inside the bag due to the sun’s rays reflecting through the material
of the balloon. The Balloon Control Center at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, maintains a
plot on all military upper air research balloons.
Another category of UFO evaluations labeled Other includes missiles, reflections, mirages,
searchlights, birds, kites, spurious radar indications, hoaxes, fireworks, and flares.
Aircraft, satellites, balloons, and the like should NOT be reported since they do not fall within
the definition of an unidentified flying object.
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