Over the last 48 hours, there has been a significant uptick in reports of unidentified flying objects and “anomalies” being detected over US and Canadain airspace. Due to this, we are creating a live thread where you can follow along.
4:48 PM PST: Image obtained of the 148th Fighter Wing F-16C that intercepted and shot down the “octagonal object” over Lake Heron landing back at Madison missing an AIM-9X missile.
4:41 PM PST: PENTAGON PHONE BRIEFING: A New York Times reporter just asked Air Force General VanHerck if the Pentagon has ruled out aliens or extraterrestrials being the culprit behind the unidentified objects being shot down over US airspace.
General VanHerck: “Thanks for the question. I’ll, I’ll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out. I haven’t ruled out anything at this point we continue to assess every threat — potential threat — unknown— that approaches North America.
4:31 PM PST: PENTAGON BRIEFING: U.S. Air Force General Glen VanHerck says they have not located the object that was shot down over Alaska. Says a Navy P-8 and helicopters are still searching for debris.
4:25 PM PST: PENTAGON BRIEFING: Senior US General during briefing “we do not know how these objects are staying aloft.” Notes that it could be a balloon or could have a propulsion system, he says. DOD says too soon to say what the airborne objects may specifically but they have not acted with hostile intent.
4:24 PM PST: PENTAGON BRIEFING: The Pentagon says they believe these incidents are the first time within US airspace that NORAD has taken kinetic action against an airborne object.
4:23 PM PST: PENTAGON BRIEFING: The Pentagon says it has been more closely scrutinizing radar since Chinese balloon shootdown, “which may at least partially explain” the increase in detections.
4:01 PM PST: A senior U.S. official speaking to ABC says there is no sense that the three objects shot down this weekend are meteorological balloons or some sort of weather balloon, and not spy balloons — NOTE: Follow up from Pentagon Briefing, US General contradicts this report, says they do not know what these objects are yet.
3:03 PM PST: UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says Britain will undertake a security review in the wake of the incursion of Chinese spy balloons into Western airspace. Secretary Wallace added, “The UK and her allies will review what these airspace intrusions mean for our security. This development is another sign of how the global threat picture is changing for the worse.”
3:00 PM PST:
The Pentagon has released a statement relating to the shoot down of an unidentified flying object flying at 20,000 feet over Michigan.
Full statement: Today at 2:42 p.m., at the direction of President Biden, and based on the recommendations of Secretary Austin and military leadership, an F-16 fired an AIMIx to successfully shoot down an airborne object flying at approximately 20,000 feet altitude in U.S. airspace over Lake Huron in the State of Michigan. Its path and altitude raised concerns, including that it could be a hazard to civil aviation. The location chosen for this shoot down afforded us the opportunity to avoid impact to people on the ground while improving chances for debris recovery. There are no indications of any civilians hurt or otherwise affected. North American Aerospace Defense Command detected the object Sunday morning and has maintained visual and radar tracking of it. Based on its flight path and data we can reasonably connect this object to the radar signal picked up over Montana, which flew in proximity to sensitive DOD sites. We did not assess it to be a kinetic military threat to anything on the ground, but assess it was a safety flight hazard and a threat due to its potential surveillance capabilities. Our team will now work to recover the object in an effort to learn more.
2:40 PM PST: One reason why additional “objects” have been detected by NORAD could be because the command recently readjusted its filters to better spot slow-moving targets operating above a certain altitude – Sources speaking to CNN
2:31PM PST: Canada’s Defense Minister “Today, a high-altitude object was detected in U.S. airspace over Lake Huron. NORAD launched Canadian and U.S. aircraft to investigate and the object was taken down in U.S. airspace by U.S. aircraft. We unequivocally support this action. We will continue to work with the U.S. and NORAD to protect North America.”
2:06 PM PST: Taiwan’s government has commented on the unidentified objects flying over the United States and Canada, hinting that they may be Chinese “military balloons.” A senior Taiwanese official speaking to FT says they have observed dozens of Chinese military balloon flights in Taiwan’s airspace in recent years, far more than previously known. The official added, “They come very frequently, the last one just a few weeks ago.”
1:47 PM PST:The unidentified object shot down with a missile by U.S. fighter jets Sunday over Lake Huron is believed to be the same one tracked over Montana and monitored by the government beginning the night before — US officials speaking to AP
1:37PM PST: President Biden ordered the shoot down of a “high-altitude object” flying over Lake Huron today.
1:23PM PST: Members of the Biden administration have started issuing private assurances to other officials that there is no evidence that [the incursions] in US airspace are connected to extraterrestrial activity. – NYT
1:13 PM PST: Pentagon to hold press conference regarding shoot down over Lake Huron in 40 minutes.
1:06 PM PST: An F-16 shot down the object over Lake Huron, quoting a congressional aid who says the object was “octagon shaped” and was at an altitude of 20,000ft, posing a threat to civilian air traffic.
1:03PM PST: Regarding shoot down over Yukon yesterday (Canada)
No debris have been recovered yet, debris field area has been narrowed down but no one there yet, incredibly remote area, rugged territory…
12:57 PM PST: Congresswoman Slotkin relating to shoot down over Michigan: “The object has been downed by pilots from the US Air Force and National Guard. Great work by all who carried out this mission both in the air and back at headquarters. We’re all interested in exactly what this object was and it’s purpose. As long as these things keep traversing the US and Canada, I’ll continue to ask for Congress to get a full briefing based on our exploitation of the wreckage.”
12:53 PM PST: KC-135 tanker and E-3B Sentry airborne early warning and control platform still airborne over Michigan (area where unidentified flying object was shot down)
12:33 PM PST: Congressional source speaking to NBC: “The US military shot down a unidentified object over Lake Huron today, according to a Congressional source briefed on the matter & two US officials.”
12:29 PM PST: Congressman Jack Bergman says the US military has “decommissioned” an object flying over Lake Huron. Full statement: “I’ve been in contact with DOD regarding operations across the Great Lakes region today. The US military has decommissioned another “object” over Lake Huron. I appreciate the decisive action by our fighter pilots. The American people deserve far more answers than we have.”
12:27 PM PST: US military is now looking at a wider range of radar data as it monitors North American airspace, which includes more objects & smaller objects that it might have filtered out in the past, two DoD officials have told NBC.
12:14 PM PST: Congresswoman Slotkin of Michigan has released a statement conforming she recieved a call from the Department of Defense. In a statement, Congresswoman Slotkin said, “Our military has an extremely close eye on the object above Lake Huron. We’ll know more about what this was in the coming days, but for now, be assured that all parties have been laser-focused on it from the moment it traversed our waters.”
12:10 PM PST: USAF refueling tanker is entering Canadian airspace where the NOTAM is
11:28 AM PST: New NOTAM has appeared 28 km WSW of Tobermory in Ontario, Canada. This is due to an “active air defence operation”
Pictures attached
10:39 AM PST: NORAD says airspace over Lake Michigan was closed to “ensure the air traffic safety in the area during NORAD operations”. This restriction has since been lifted.
10:31 AM PST: USAF KC-135R Mid-Air Refueler and a USAF E-3B Sentry AWACS Platform are operating in Michigan
10:00 AM PST: Object shot down over Canada is believed to be a surveillance balloon of Chinese or Russian origin, a government official says – The Globe and Mail
