Case Resolution: "Mt. Etna Object"
- Date
- 2025-04-28
- Location
- Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily, Italy
- Agency
- AARO
- Release
- AARO (aaro.mil)
- Type
- document
Summary
In December 2018, a SWIR camera on a U.S. military uncrewed aircraft operating near NAS Sigonella recorded an object that appeared to move at high speed through Mt. Etna's ash plume; the operator reported about 345 mph. AARO assessed "with moderate confidence that the object was a balloon" and "with high confidence that the object did not exhibit anomalous behavior." AARO says the object moved at about 24 mph with the wind, was about 30 km from the sensor, and "did not pass through the volcano's ash plume."
Note
AARO case resolution 25-P-0694. It records that one AARO partner's initial assessment of speeds up to 3,400 mph was not accepted by AARO and its other partners.