In a statement released today at 2:42 p.m. ET, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced that the U.S. military successfully shot down an airborne object over Lake Huron in the state of Michigan. The statement indicated that the shoot down was carried out at the direction of President Biden, based on recommendations from Secretary Austin and military leadership. The object, which was flying at approximately 20,000 feet altitude in U.S. airspace, was considered a potential hazard to civil aviation and a threat due to its potential surveillance capabilities.
According to the statement, the object was an octagonal shape with strings hanging off, but had no discernible payload. It was flying low at about 20,000 feet and its path and altitude raised concerns. The decision to shoot down the object was made to avoid impact to people on the ground and improve the chances of debris recovery. The location chosen for the shoot down was selected with these considerations in mind.
The U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets were the aircraft used in the shoot down and the missile used was an AIM9x. The object was detected by NORAD on Sunday morning and was tracked visually and radar until the decision was made to shoot it down. The statement indicated that the object was believed to be the same one that was tracked over Montana on Saturday and monitored by the government beginning the night before.
This shoot down marks the third such incident in as many days, following shoot downs in Alaska and Canada, and the fourth since the downing of a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina on February 4th. The rapid succession of these incidents has raised concerns about the safety of U.S. airspace and the potential for unknown objects to pose a threat to civil aviation.
NORAD has been working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense to monitor and track these objects. The statement indicated that there are no indications of any civilians being hurt or otherwise affected by today’s shoot down. A team has been assembled to recover the object in an effort to learn more about its purpose or origin.
In the meantime, the FAA and military have temporarily closed airspace over Lake Huron to the east. The decision to close the airspace was made in conjunction with the FAA and was lifted within an hour. This was shortly before 1 p.m., after the Lake Michigan airspace was reopened.
These recent shoot downs serve as a reminder of the importance of maintaining the security of U.S. airspace and the measures being taken to protect the public. The U.S. military and the FAA will continue to closely monitor the situation and take any necessary actions to protect the safety of American citizens.