QuoteU.S. Shoots Down a Fourth Flying Object
The fourth flying object was shot down over Lake Huron by the United States on Sunday.
Helene Cooper
By Helene Cooper
Feb. 12, 2023Updated 5:05 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON — The United States shot down a fourth flying object over North America on Sunday, this one over Lake Huron in Michigan, U.S. officials said.
The Pentagon used an F-16 fighter jet that shot the object with a Sidewinder air-to-air missile. This object was unidentified, as was an object shot down over the Yukon Territory in Canada on Saturday and another shot down over the Arctic Ocean near Alaska on Friday.
The episodes began on Feb. 4, when the U.S. military shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.
The latest turn in the aerial show taking place in the skies above North America comes after a helter-skelter weekend involving what at times seemed like an invasion of unidentified flying objects.
The incursions seemed to become so common that Biden administration officials have found themselves issuing private assurances that there is no evidence that they involve extraterrestrial activity. But officials also acknowledge privately that the longer they are unable to provide a public explanation for the provenance of the objects, the more speculation grows.
On Friday, after tracking an unidentified object 40,000 feet in the air across Alaska and into a fairly congested air traffic route for commercial flights between the United States and Asia, the United States shot down the object. It used the same type of airplane (an F-22) and weaponry (a Sidewinder air-to-air missile) that was used to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon a week earlier.
But soon after recovery teams began the effort to locate and identify the debris in the Prudhoe Bay area, NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which is operated by the United States and Canada, began tracking a second unidentified object. This one moved across Alaska on Friday night and crossed into Canada on Saturday before it was shot down by an American fighter jet over the Yukon Territory.
The second object, Canadian authorities said, was cylindrical. The first object, American officials said, was the size of a small car, though one official said it was also cylindrical.
Helene Cooper is a Pentagon correspondent. She was previously an editor, diplomatic correspondent and White House correspondent, and was part of the team awarded the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, for its coverage of the Ebola epidemic. @helenecooper
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/12/us/politics/us-shoots-down-object-michigan.html
...:hmm:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fd-D0M5XoAA47v8.jpg)
Time to start up XCOM. Too bad the aliens may already have a head start in subverting donor nations.
Just saw something from CNN a few days ago about NORAD beginning to monitor for slower moving objects. So I guess probably they weren't noticing dangerously high flying balloons previously.
Quote from: Sheilbh on February 12, 2023, 05:26:54 PMThe incursions seemed to become so common that Biden administration officials have found themselves issuing private assurances that there is no evidence that they involve extraterrestrial activity. But officials also acknowledge privately that the longer they are unable to provide a public explanation for the provenance of the objects, the more speculation grows.
People are very, very, stupid.
Quote from: Tamas on February 12, 2023, 05:38:13 PMJust saw something from CNN a few days ago about NORAD beginning to monitor for slower moving objects. So I guess probably they weren't noticing dangerously high flying balloons previously.
.
This makes sense.
It seems weird this would suddenly start now, and that we haven't heard a peep before hand... The media does decide what's a story but not to that extent.
QuoteJUST IN - ESA has discovered a small meteorite that will "safely" impact Earth's atmosphere tonight over northern France
Picture taken this morning over Kelowna, British Columbia (ie right next to where I live)
(https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Kelowna-strange-object-in-sky.jpg?w=2048)
Seems the Chinese/russkies/aliens are testing our response time.
I lol'ed
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FozbtkbXoAMiFpI?format=jpg&name=small)
It's happening!
QuoteNYT reporter: Have aliens or extraterrestrials been ruled out? NORAD Commander: "I haven't ruled out anything"
Click for audio of question and answer
https://mobile.twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1624934609707233280
I love some of the headlines. :lol:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fox1_yMWYAEPjqH?format=jpg&name=medium)
We should fly Winnie the poo floats over China... to study the weather.
It would be so cool if this was actual sentient life from somewhere else.
You guys need to retrieve all the Elerium and start researching laser rifles and fusion cores immediately.
Quote from: Tamas on February 12, 2023, 05:38:13 PMJust saw something from CNN a few days ago about NORAD beginning to monitor for slower moving objects. So I guess probably they weren't noticing dangerously high flying balloons previously.
My understanding is that these last few objects are not balloons.
Aliens are real. Huh. Didn't think it would ever happen.
In all seriousness, shouldn't we find out what they are before we shoot them down?
I'm sure there is someway to find out what they are. I for one, would like to know what we are blowing up. That doesn't seem like that big of an ask.
Quote(Reuters) - The U.S. military commander who safeguards U.S. airspace said on Sunday he could not determine how the latest three objects shot down over the past three days were staying aloft, adding he was not calling them balloons for a reason.
Seriously though, I don't think we'd be shooting down clearly extraterrestrial devices just because they might interfere with air travel, not to mention that if the aliens were using probes that could be taken down by a Sidewinder, there would probably be much more of them going about globally. My bet is on them not ruling the aliens crap out because they need to decide how to explain the fact that some Russian/Chinese stuff got into the middle of their country without them doing anything about it.
Quote from: Grey Fox on February 12, 2023, 09:04:54 PMIt would be so cool if this was actual sentient life from somewhere else.
And we killed it?
Quote from: Maladict on February 13, 2023, 03:04:36 AMQuote from: Grey Fox on February 12, 2023, 09:04:54 PMIt would be so cool if this was actual sentient life from somewhere else.
And we killed it?
The earlier they learn we're not to be trusted the better for them.
Quote from: Zoupa on February 12, 2023, 07:48:30 PMPicture taken this morning over Kelowna, British Columbia (ie right next to where I live)
(https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Kelowna-strange-object-in-sky.jpg?w=2048)
Seems the Chinese/russkies/aliens are testing our response time.
Asteroid over the channel too. The invasion has started!
Quote from: Grey Fox on February 12, 2023, 09:04:54 PMIt would be so cool if this was actual sentient life from somewhere else.
Not really, we wouldn't stand a chance
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on February 13, 2023, 04:17:41 AMQuote from: Grey Fox on February 12, 2023, 09:04:54 PMIt would be so cool if this was actual sentient life from somewhere else.
Not really, we wouldn't stand a chance
If a Sidewinder can take them down I like our odds.
99 Red Balloons
Will Smith is itching to slap someone again.
Quote from: Josephus on February 13, 2023, 06:49:16 AM99 Red Balloons
(https://img.ifunny.co/images/1dc70840aa1e383e963035f67404154e0a606aa9923acf1daf328bbf2f924f5f_1.jpg)
I had read that after the Chinese balloon incident NORAD turned up its radar sensitivity and so these new objects may have simply been amateur hour scientist projects caught by the increased capacity. Sending garlic bread to space type of thing.
Amateur Aliens, on History Channel.
Quote from: Zoupa on February 12, 2023, 07:48:30 PMPicture taken this morning over Kelowna, British Columbia (ie right next to where I live)
(https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Kelowna-strange-object-in-sky.jpg?w=2048)
Seems the Chinese/russkies/aliens are testing our response time.
That's an awful lot of burning fuel for an object described as small. The mystery deepens.
I have to wonder on these whether there's not a better way to shoot them down than sidewinder missiles. Seems overkill.
Quote from: Josquius on February 14, 2023, 06:03:55 AMI have to wonder on these whether there's not a better way to shoot them down than sidewinder missiles. Seems overkill.
Ramming?
Good point if they were balloons why not just machine gun them, don't at least F16s have them by default?
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on February 13, 2023, 03:10:34 PMQuote from: Josephus on February 13, 2023, 06:49:16 AM99 Red Balloons
(https://img.ifunny.co/images/1dc70840aa1e383e963035f67404154e0a606aa9923acf1daf328bbf2f924f5f_1.jpg)
hmm...they took my joke and made it better.
Quote from: Josquius on February 14, 2023, 06:03:55 AMI have to wonder on these whether there's not a better way to shoot them down than sidewinder missiles. Seems overkill.
Sidewinder is the cheapest air-to-air missile, so the only cheaper alternative is guns. That would impose a degree of risk to the aircraft, given that we don't know the composition of the target. Plus, you are using a lot more fuel, so maybe not saving as much money as one would think.
The aliens probably feel disrespected that they are being killed by a weapon first introduced almost 70 years ago.