The US military has apparently downed a fourth object detected flying over US territory this month, with the latest shoot down taking place over Lake Huron.
Congressman Jack Bergmann said the US Air Force downed a yet-to-be identified object over Lake Huron, adding he “appreciated the decisive action by our fighter pilots.” He also said the American people “deserve far more answers than we have” in a social media post.
Bergman’s statement comes after the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) implemented a temporary flight restriction in airspace over Lake Michigan at approximately 12 p.m. EST on Feb. 12, 2023.
The command said the restriction was aimed at ensuring the safety of air traffic in
the area during NORAD operations. The temporary flight restriction has since been lifted.
According to reports, an F-16 fighter was responsible for taking down the octagon-shaped object this time, after the previous three were downed by F-22 Raptors. In all interceptions, AIM-9X missiles were used.
It is possible that the F-16 was used due to the fact that the latest object was flying at a lower altitude than previous ones. The object flew at an altitude of around 20,000 feet, whereas the previous ones flew at 40,000 and over 60,000 feet.
To remind, the first high-altitude balloon, which has since been determined to have been launched by China, was downed on February 4, while two more were taken down on February 10 and February 11.
The shoot down of what is now the fourth object over US and Canadian airspace has raised a lot of questions on why this appears to be turning into a growing trend. One of the explanations provided by officials is the fact that the Pentagon has tweaked its radars to better detect, or include the detection, of objects that travel at much lower speeds than missiles or aircraft.
This adjustment was apparently implemented following the first event from February 4.
Despite reassurances from officials that these objects do not represent potential extraterrestrial activities, questions among the public as to why the uptick in the appearance of these objects is so sudden remain.
