Documented case · Mt. Etna area, Sicily, Italy
Mt. Etna infrared recording
December 2018 · Details below are limited to the linked public record. Source conclusions are attributed and do not establish an extraordinary cause.
- Incident date
- December 2018
- Place in source
- Mt. Etna area, Sicily, Italy
- Location precision
- Mt. Etna is the named case locality, not the object’s resolved position. AARO estimated the object was about 170 km from the volcano; the public report does not give a bearing for that estimate.
Documented record
A shortwave infrared camera on a U.S. military uncrewed aircraft recorded an object in footage of an Mt. Etna eruption. It appeared to cross the ash plume; the operator initially reported a speed of 345 mph.
Source assessment
AARO assessed with moderate confidence that the object was a balloon and with high confidence that it showed no anomalous performance. AARO attributed the apparent plume crossing and speed to sensor limits, atmospheric turbulence, and optical effects.
Details stated in the record
- Evidence
- 12 minutes of shortwave infrared video
- Sensor platform
- U.S. military uncrewed aircraft operating near Naval Air Station Sigonella over the Mediterranean south of Sicily
- Reporter and data type
- U.S. military UAS operators; shortwave infrared video.
- Reported altitude
- About 500 feet
- AARO-assessed altitude
- About 15,000 feet
- Reported speed
- About 345 mph
- AARO-assessed speed
- About 24 mph
- Reported shape
- Round; appeared to cross the ash plume
- AARO-assessed shape
- Spherical; estimated about 170 km from Mt. Etna
- AARO confidence
- Moderate confidence: balloon. High confidence: no anomalous performance.
Not available in the cited public record
- The public report does not state the day in December or an exact object coordinate.
- AARO’s estimated distance from Mt. Etna is not accompanied by a bearing in the public summary.
Source references
- Mt. Etna Object case resolution (opens in a new tab)
AARO · U.S. Department of Defense