https://sputnikglobe.com/20230214/us-air-force-f-16-jet-reportedly-shot-down-unknown-object-over-lake-huron-only-on-second-try-1107411064.html
US Air Force F-16 Jet Reportedly Shot Down Unknown Object Over Lake Huron Only on Second Try
US Air Force F-16 Jet Reportedly Shot Down Unknown Object Over Lake Huron Only on Second Try
Sputnik International
The US Air Force jet that shot down the mystery object over Lake Huron on February 12 reportedly missed at first attempt.
2023-02-14T12:27+0000
2023-02-14T12:27+0000
2023-02-14T12:27+0000
americas
us
chinese balloon over us
unidentified flying object
us air force
f-16
north american aerospace defense command
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There was a bit of a hit-or-miss situation in connection with a mysterious unidentified “octagonal” object downed by the military over Lake Huron in Michigan, on February 12, American officials were cited by media as saying.The US Air Force F-16 jet that shot down the trespassing object, flying at around 20,000ft (6,000 meters), reportedly missed the target on its first attempt. Believed to cost over $400,000, the Sidewinder, named after a deadly desert rattlesnake, is a supersonic infrared heat-seeking air-to-air missile. With its high-explosive warhead, the Sidewinder was developed by the US Navy for fleet air defense, and subsequently adapted for fighter aircraft use by the US Air Force.Finally, the "octagonal structure with strings hanging from it, but with no evident payload" was knocked from the sky over the icy lake on the second stab. The move was made at express orders of US President Joe Biden “out of an abundance of caution,” an administration official said. While not deemed to be a military threat, it could have posed a hazard to civil aviation due to its altitude, officials added.The downing of the fourth object followed several similar incidents, which started when a Chinese balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on February 4. Two more high-altitude airborne objects were taken down over Alaska (February 10), and Canada's Yukon Territory (February 11), with the latter described as "cylindrical."News about the embarrassing hit-and-miss situation with the unidentified downed object couldn’t but trigger a prompt reaction on the Internet. Some suggested that perhaps shooting at balloons with heat-seeking missiles was not a very practical approach.Others allowed themselves a dig at what they slammed as “overhyped, over expensive American junk.”Amid unbridled speculation over whether the series of objects could be "alien craft," Glen VanHerck, the general who oversees the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said at a press call this weekend:
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230214/mystery-object-downed-by-us-air-force-over-alaska-reportedly-interfered-with-aircraft-sensors-1107395629.html
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us air force jet, f-16, sidewinder supersonic, infrared heat-seeking, air-to-air missile, shot down mystery object over lake huron, missed at first attempt, missed the target on its first attempt, octagonal structure with strings hanging from it, no evident payload
us air force jet, f-16, sidewinder supersonic, infrared heat-seeking, air-to-air missile, shot down mystery object over lake huron, missed at first attempt, missed the target on its first attempt, octagonal structure with strings hanging from it, no evident payload
US Air Force F-16 Jet Reportedly Shot Down Unknown Object Over Lake Huron Only on Second Try
A fourth airborne object to stray into US airspace in just a week was spotted and downed by a US F-16 fighter jet over Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes on the US-Canada border, on Sunday afternoon. Deemed a "risk to civilian traffic," it was shot down at the direction of President Joe Biden, according to the Pentagon.
There was a bit of a hit-or-miss situation in connection with a
mysterious unidentified “octagonal” object downed by the military over Lake Huron in Michigan, on February 12, American officials were cited by media as saying.
The US Air Force F-16 jet that shot down the trespassing object, flying at around 20,000ft (6,000 meters), reportedly missed the target on its first attempt.
"The first Sidewinder heat-seeking missile missed the target," one official said.
Believed to cost over $400,000, the Sidewinder, named after a deadly desert rattlesnake, is a supersonic infrared heat-seeking air-to-air missile. With its high-explosive warhead, the Sidewinder was developed by the US Navy for fleet air defense, and subsequently adapted for fighter aircraft use by the US Air Force.
Finally, the "octagonal structure with strings hanging from it, but with no evident payload" was knocked from the sky over the icy lake on the second stab. The move was made at express orders of US President Joe Biden “out of an abundance of caution,” an administration official said. While not deemed to be a military threat, it could have posed a hazard to civil aviation due to its altitude, officials added.
The downing of the fourth object followed several similar incidents, which started when a Chinese balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on February 4. Two more high-altitude airborne objects were taken down over Alaska (February 10), and
Canada's Yukon Territory (February 11), with the latter
described as "cylindrical."
14 February 2023, 08:26 GMT
News about the embarrassing hit-and-miss situation with the unidentified downed object couldn’t but trigger a prompt reaction on the Internet. Some suggested that perhaps shooting at balloons with heat-seeking missiles was not a very practical approach.
Others allowed themselves a dig at what they slammed as “overhyped, over expensive American junk.”
Amid unbridled speculation over whether the series of objects could be "alien craft," Glen VanHerck, the general who oversees the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said at a press call this weekend:
“I’ll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out. I haven’t ruled out anything."
