ANOTHER possible spy balloon has been spotted off the coast of Alaska - just a week after fighter jets were sent to intercept a mystery inflatable in US airspace.
Fishermen made the discovery on Friday and are said to be bringing the object into port to be inspected by FBI agents over the weekend.
The fishermen sent photos to local law enforcement, who asked them to bring the items back to land, CNN first reported on Friday.
FBI agents are expected to take the objects — which sources said appeared similar to Chinese spy balloons discovered last year — to an FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia for closer analysis.
The fishermen said they were not sure whether the items were a spy balloon, but the FBI believed that the photos they sent of the unknown discovery warranted further investigation, according to CNN sources.
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American forces have been on high alert for prying eyes from the sky.
Just last week, the North American Aerospace Defense Command sent fighter jets to examine a small balloon that was discovered over the Southwest, later intercepting it in Utah.
NORAD later said in a statement that the balloon was “likely a hobby balloon” that posed no threat.
It also comes after the US confirmed finding a Chinese spy balloon that supposedly blew off course into Alaskan airspace in February 2023.
The surveillance aircraft was dramatically shot down by two F-22 fighter jets off of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina shortly after it was identified.
Crowds cheered after the balloon plummeted into the ocean, where the wreckage was swiftly gathered by divers and other military personnel.
China slammed President Joe Biden's decision to shoot down what it calls a "civilian aircraft", further raising tensions between the two countries.
"The attack on Chinese civilian unmanned airship by force is an obvious overreaction," Beijing officials said in a statement.
"We express solemn protest against this move by the US side, and reserve rights to take necessary measures in dealing with similar situations."
The discovery thrust China's vast balloon surveillance system into the spotlight, leading US officials to admit that they knew about China's vast spy balloon fleet operating around the globe.
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Chinese spy balloons have completed dozens of missions over the last few years on five different continents, according to US officials.
The balloon that was retrieved last year had gathered intelligence, including data and photos, that was not ultimately transferred to China but was able to be studied by US officials.
The revelation led to changes in national defense strategy, President Biden announced after striking down the balloon last year.
The American military has widened the aperture of its air defense radar systems to better detect objects that flyer at lower altitudes or slower speeds, officials said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his diplomatic visit to China in response to the balloon entering US air space too.
Three more unidentified flying objects were shot down in the weeks following the first major discovery last February.
