“Lầu Năm Góc and US intelligence officials are actively seeking answers regarding the appearance of three unidentified flying objects in the skies over Canada, Alaska, and Michigan in the United States.

These unidentified objects were shot down by US fighter jets using missiles over the course of three consecutive days.

The latest turn in these aerial shootdowns occurred on February 12th in the skies over North America, after a chaotic weekend that resembled an invasion of unidentified flying objects, according to the New York Times.

The first sighting of this object was on February 11th in Montana, sparking debates initially on its existence.

Military officials detected radar blips in Montana that vanished, leading them to temporarily close portions of airspace and conclude it was an anomalous signal, reported by Fox News.

The radar blip reappeared on February 12th in Montana, then in Wisconsin and Michigan. Upon visual confirmation, officials ordered F-16s to shoot down the object over Lake Huron.

Continued Detection of More Objects There are two major questions surrounding these events. First, what are these flying objects? Second, why has the US suddenly seen more of them in a short period recently?

The first question remains unanswered. US officials don’t know what these objects are, let alone their purpose or who is behind them.

Similarly, regarding the second question, it’s still unclear if there truly has been an abrupt increase in the appearance of these objects. However, following the recent incursion of a Chinese balloon, the US and Canadian military are now paying closer attention to some objects that might have previously been allowed to pass.

According to the New York Times, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has recently increased radar sensitivity, resulting in a significant rise in the number of objects detected by this equipment.

In other words, NORAD is tracking more incursions because they are actively seeking them out.

“We have been looking more closely at our airspace at these altitudes, including enhancing our radar. This could partly explain the increase in objects we’ve detected over the past week,” said Melissa Dalton, Deputy Secretary of Defense, at a press conference on February 12th.

US officials aren’t completely ruling out the possibility of more objects.

Some hypothesize these objects could be from China or another power, testing early detection capabilities.

The third unidentified object detected flying toward Lake Huron on February 12th at an altitude above 6,000 meters posed a potential threat to civilian aviation. Hence, President Joe Biden authorized its shooting.

The objects shot down on February 10th and 11th flew lower than the previously identified Chinese balloon, posing a greater danger to civilian aircraft.

Chinese Balloon Incident The recovered Chinese balloon after being shot down on February 4th. Photo: US Navy.

Over the weekend, authorities struggled to determine the nature of the three unidentified objects. A senior US Defense official suggested that the first object was likely not a balloon as it shattered into pieces when shot down on February 10th.

The object on February 11th was described by Canadian authorities as cylindrical. US officials speculate it could be some form of balloon.

Meanwhile, two anonymous officials told Reuters that the third object had a diamond-shaped structure with dangling wires, seemingly not a balloon, according to one official.

Hypotheses Washington continues to review videos and sensor data collected by US pilots who observed these objects before they were shot down.

But the exact nature of these objects, their origin, and purpose won’t be confirmed until the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have the opportunity to thoroughly examine the debris.

“I will let the intelligence and counterintelligence communities find the answers. I am not ruling anything out at this time,” Reuters quoted General Glen VanHerck as saying on February 12th when asked if he was ruling out the possibility of extraterrestrial involvement in the recent downing of UFOs.

But in another interview on the same day, US national security officials ruled out the extraterrestrial hypothesis. Luis Elizondo, a former military intelligence officer who ran the Pentagon’s UFO program until 2017, concurred.

Elizondo noted that for years, adversaries have sent low-tech devices into US skies.

“What’s happening now is a low-tech capability being used to harass the United States,” he said. “It’s a high-impact, low-cost approach.”

Under pressure from the US Congress, the Pentagon and intelligence agencies have intensified research into unexplained incidents near military installations in recent times.

In a report released last month, the intelligence community stated that out of 366 unexplained incidents, 163 were subsequently identified as balloons.

The most alarming hypothesis being considered by some US officials is that the objects were sent by China or another power to learn more about US early warning or radar systems.

A senior administration official suggested (emphasizing this was a hypothesis) that China or Russia sent the objects to assess how quickly the US would detect the intrusion and how the US military would respond.

Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado last year, General VanHerck said the US struggled to detect certain types of incursions. He noted that NORAD’s radar couldn’t fully detect hypersonic objects and other threats.

However, he also shared that the US and Canada are investing in over-the-horizon radar systems to better identify potential threats, as well as artificial intelligence systems to detect possible intrusive behaviors.

“I am very excited about what’s coming,” General VanHerck said in July 2022. “But we still have some challenges to address.”