Defense officials on Sunday night declined to identify what the three objects shot down over the weekend might be, raising questions over the threat the objects could have represented to civilians across North America, what the purpose of the objects was, and why there has been a rash of detections and responses with fighter planes and guided missiles. The ability to discern what is real and what is not is becoming increasingly more difficult., I think there is an even bigger issue than discord and discontent, said Garcia. (FlightRadar24 image), was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. The Air Forces safety review found no overdue inspections or incomplete maintenance that would have affected Joness flight that night. What I think this shows, which is probably more important to our policy discussion here, is that we really have to declare that were going to defend our airspace. There was no word on the fate of the NORAD launched Canadian and U.S. aircraft to investigate and the object was taken down in U.S. airspace by U.S. aircraft, Canadas defense minister, Anita Anand, said in a statement. US fighter jets shot down an airborne object over Lake Huron on Sunday and an unidentified object over northern Canada a day earlier. They could get so close to the object you could fly into the debris or hit it. This is in a sense information warfare, Dave Lapan a retired Marine colonel who served in several public affairs roles, including at the departments of defense and homeland security told Military Times. CHICAGO -- The first missile that was launched by an F-16 fighter jet at the object near Lake Huron on Sunday did not hit the target, three people briefed on the matter told CNN. It said: Canada and China signed a treaty that allows the Peoples Liberation Army of China to station Chinese troops in Canada, beginning in 2020., Daniel Le Bouthillier, a spokesman for Canadas Department of National Defense, said by email, Not much to say except that it isnt true.. I would be hesitant and urge you not to attribute it to any specific country. "The object has been downed by pilots from the US Air Force and National Guard," Slotkin tweeted Sunday afternoon. They don't know what country they are coming from. Contents of this blog/website may not be used without author's prior written permission. Right now, we are focusing on supporting Capt. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. Would not elaborate on the shapes they are seeing. The last radio communication received from [Jones] was vague and non-specific, the report said. Thats particularly difficult at night, in bad weather conditions and with little moonlight, the Air Force said. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner said Sunday he prefers how the USshot down unidentified objectsover North American airspace in recent days to allowing them to traverse the country. U.S. F-22 Has Shot Down An Unidentified Object That Violated Canadian Airspace, Some V-22 Osprey Tiltrotors Grounded To Implement Solution To Hard Clutch Engagements, During its sortie the B-52 got closer to St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad than ever seen before on flight tracking websites. Follow more news here. This retired three-star falsely claims US soldiers died attacking a CIA facility in Germany tied to election fraud, Interior designers remodel Jack Teixeiras camo bedroom monstrosity, Drop and give me a Guinness World Record! We should have a transcript at some time in the near future. An airborne object was shot down Sunday near Lake Huron, marking the fourth time in roughly a week that US aircraft have shot something down in North American airspace. But, in general, NORAD has tended to prioritize the detection of fast-moving targets below a certain altitude -- at which threatening planes or certain missiles, for example, might fly. At the time, those planes did not identify any object to correlate to the radar hits, which led NORAD and NORTHCOM to believe it was an anomaly. The Notice To Airman (NOTAM) was issued, and then rescinded, over the Green Bay area Sunday afternoon, then later, one was issued by Canadian authorities. #StrongSecureEngaged #StrongProudReady pic.twitter.com/eARdeIXggz. WebDecember 9, 2020. Maybe. There is also no evidence that Chinese troopsmassing at the Canadian border. Disoriented, Jones asked if the [wingman] was making a left-hand turn. The object was shaped like an octagon with strings hanging off it and no discernible payload, according to the official and another source briefed on the matter. Other accounts used pictures of howitzers on a train in Maine, which first surfaced in October, as proof that the U.S. military was responding to a Chinese incursion into Canada RUMINT that bubbled up via some delusional trainspotter that was then knocked down by the local CBS affiliate. The Maine Military Authority, said Lamb, had been refurbishing the howitzers, but those operations ended two years ago. -They won't officially categorize them as balloons or as having some type of a propulsion system, although there could be a gaseous envelope inside. Even if our adversaries didnt start these rumors, I am sure they are joyfully watching things like that spread to create division and conflict.. That effort involves more closely scrutinizing our airspace including enhancing our radar, which may at least partly explain the increase in objects that weve detected over the past week, she said. WebThe F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Wisconsin Air National Guards 115th Fighter Wing was on a routine training mission when it crashed around 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Banana Joe Clemente, the Salt Spring resident confirmed via Facebook that he filmed the scene on March 17, 2018 and posted it on YouTube more than two years ago. 12, 2023, one of the four B-52 Stratofortress bombers assigned to 5th Bomb [], Warthogs of the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, made a stopover in Lajes, Azores, with an interesting mix of full and no markings aircraft. It entered U.S. airspace a short time later, eventually falling off the radar over Montana and reappearing over Wisconsin. If they didnt filter out slow-moving objects, early warning air defense systems would pick up lots of noise, such as weather balloons and birds. -Shape could make them hard to detect. The North American Aerospace Defense Command felt that taking gunshots at the objects shot down Saturday and Sunday, in an attempt to better preserve them for examination on the ground, was unachievable, in part due to the relatively small size of those objects. This is a developing story. A Canadian Army delegation visited China in January 2018, while a PLA delegation visited Canada in February of that same year, Le Bouthillier said. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. The number of engagement might be on a raising trend since monitoring of the airspace has been improved following the Chinese balloon incident. We are getting additional images of the 148th FW F-16s returning to Madison. The 148th FW is based out of Duluth, Minnesota, but is providing quick reaction alert duty for NORAD missions while the local 115th FW transitions to F-35s. MMAs contractual storage obligations ended once the howitzers were delivered to Presque Isle for follow on transport.. They have made no outright hostile acts. The airspace has been reopened.. The FAA briefly closed some airspace over Lake Michigan to support Department of Defense activities, the FAA said in an email to The War Zone Sunday. The pilot instead relied on his inertial navigation system, the internal device that calculates aspects of a planes position in the sky like roll, pitch and velocity using gyroscopes and accelerometers rather than a satellite signal. Technology, performance and design delivered to your inbox. Chinese People's Liberation Army personnel participate in a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on October 1, 2019, to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (AFP / Greg Baker), Screenshot of an article from Before Its News, taken on December 16, 2020, Screenshot of a Facebook post taken on December 16, 2020, Screenshot of a YouTube video taken on December 16, 2020. One reason why additional objects have been detected by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in recent days could be because the command recently readjusted its filters to better spot slow-moving targets operating above a certain altitude, a source briefed on the matter told CNN. The operation marks the third day in a row that an unidentified object was shot down over North American airspace. 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Stay with The War Zone for updates. The engagement marks the fourth time an object was shot down over North America since a (supected) Chinese spy balloon was shot down on Feb. 2 over the Atlantic Ocean, after crossing CONUS from west to east. From CNN's Natasha Bertrand, Arlette Saenz and Phil Mattingly. And then we need to invest, added Turner. Whats particularly interesting is that while the first one was clearly a balloon, the second and third remain unidentified, hence possibly belonging to the category of the so-called UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). The Pentagon confirmed Sunday that an F-16 fighter jet shot down an airborne object over Lake Huron earlier in the day. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. Users can access and consult this website and use the share features available for personal, private, and non-commercial purposes. -Risk to civilian aviation is a big factor in deciding to take down these recent smaller balloons. All rights reserved. The operation marks the third day in a row that an unidentified object was shot down over North American airspace. That was still in effect as of 3:30 P.M. EST. President Joe Biden gave the order to take out the Amid ongoing disagreements between Canada and China after the 2018 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on behalf of the US, and the subsequent arrest of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor by Beijing, Canadian Armed Forces have been reviewing engagement with China. Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) February 11, 2023. The Washington Post first reported on NORADs adjustment. We don't know, VanHerck said. (Wisconsin Air National This is in addition to handheld cameras. Michigan's Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, also addressed the operation Sunday, tweeting, Our national security and safety is always a top priority. The Pentagon confirmed Sunday that an F-16 fighter jet shot down an airborne object over Lake Huron earlier in the day. No US military or media reports mention suspicion of Chinese involvement. My guess is theres not a lot of information out there yet to share, Himes said. Some posts claim that an F-16 jet was shot down by Chinese troops in Michigans Upper Peninsula and that Peoples Liberation Army battalions were trained in Canadas British Columbia. The Russians Are Coming! The object shot down Sunday by US fighter jets was flying at 20,000 feet over Michigans Upper Peninsula and about to go over Lake Huron when it was neutralized, a senior administration official told CNN. On Mar. Jones set out that evening from Truax Field, Wisconsin, alongside another aircraft to practice a scramble in case of a threat to U.S. airspace. In October 2020, Turner published another article claiming that China was amassing tens-of-thousands of troops in Canada. These objects shot down on Friday and Saturday were objects and did not closely resemble the PRC balloon. Clemente said the women in the video were staying at the Mineral Springs Resort, on the northern part of the island. It had struck the planes underbelly, hitting one of the fuel tanks and cutting my F-16 in two, Capt. It was about to go over Lake Huron when it was Based on an agreement signed in 2013, there has been the occasional, reciprocal granting of observer-status for non-sensitive activities, including winter survival exercises. North American Aerospace Defense Command detected the object Sunday morning and has maintained visual and radar tracking of it. New TFR Temporary Flight Restriction activated over Lake Huron, another KC-135 MOLSON01 departed Bangor, Maine as the NORAD op continues 1930 Zulu pic.twitter.com/TnoqyC9VC7, Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) February 12, 2023. I appreciate the decisive action by our fighter pilots. The downed object marks the third one shot over North American airspace by the US military in as many days, and the fourth in just over a week. A supervisor for the Sheriffs Office in Washington County also saidby phone that the claim was unfounded. -They don't pose a kinetic threat according to their analysis. The more narrow filters were meant to allow NORAD and defense officials to better make sense of the mass of data that was being collected on any particular day, the source said. A more recent example, Lapan said, is how retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney spouted off about how U.S. spec ops troops were killed in a gun battle with the CIA in Germany over computer equipment associated with election fraud. The dam may have finally broke. Investigators found the crash occurred because Jones lost his bearings in flight and could not spatially reorient himself after trying to right the plane when it lost GPS navigational data. Were all interested in exactly what this object was and its purpose. There was no indication of health issues or intoxication. Durwood Hawk Jones, 37, of the 115th Fighter Wing was identified as the pilot who lost his life in the crash. Multiple radio interceptors have told us the target of interest (TOI) was at around 20,000 feet, much lower than previous encounters. The Maine National Guard has no knowledge of any such troop movement, Army Maj. Carl Lamb, a spokesman for the Maine National Guard, told Military Times in response to questions about whether there were any Chinese troops stationed across the border. The low altitude, daytime intercept would have allowed them to collect high-quality IR/EO video of the entirety of the object before shooting it down. Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh also noted the difference between the incidents. -Canadian CF-18s and a tanker were involved in today's investigation of the object over Lake Huron. Ryder also said the object was the same one that radar detected on Saturday over Montana that caused airspace to briefly close Saturday evening. Durwood Hawk Jones, 37, a fighter pilot with the Wisconsin Air National Guards 176th Fighter Squadron, went down in the Hiawatha National Forest while training to protect American airspace along the northern border around 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2020. But on Sunday, defense officials reacquired the radar contact and detected the object flying over Wisconsin and then Michigan. The fourth flying object was shot with an air-to-air missile over Lake Huron. The latest: Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, told reporters the Defense Department had yet to identify what the three most recent flying objects were or where they're from, per Reuters. -NORAD began scrutinizing airspace more deeply since the Chinese balloon saga last week and 'enhancing our radar.'. WebAn F-16 Fighting Falcon from the Wisconsin Air National Guards 115th Fighter Wing from Truax Field Air National Guard Base outside Madison, Wisconsin, crashed Tuesday night About a year after the first exercise [], Pilot from 115th Fighter Wing who went down over Hiawatha National Forest has been identified. On Friday, an unidentified object. There were no reports of planes dropping bombs.. Col. Bart Van Roo, the 115th Fighter Wing commander, declared Jones dead at the scene. The Russians are Coming! but there is nothing funny about conspiratorial ravings from the Twitterverse that Chinese troops massed along the border with Maine were schwacked in an airstrike. WebAn F-16 fighter jet on a routine training mission crashed in Michigan's Upper Peninsula Tuesday night, the Wisconsin National Guard said. These objects did not closely resemble and were much smaller than the PRC balloon and we will not definitively characterize them until we can recover the debris, which we are working on, a National Security Council spokesperson said, referring to the suspected Chinese spy balloon. MMA was contracted to deliver the equipment to Presque Isle for transport by rail to their final destination. On Friday, an unidentified object. For sure something is happening and after the criticism caused by the response to the Chinas spy balloon (that flew over the U.S. for days before being shot down over the Atlantic Ocean), NORAD has engaged the intruders earlier (off the coast of Alaska, over territorial waters on Feb. 10; most probably over an unpopulated area in Canada, on Feb. 11).. They have adjusted some of those filter 'gates' including velocity and altitude gates to see what was out there after the Chinese balloon incident. The object was shaped like an octagon with strings hanging off it and did not appear to be carrying anything. Need to 'get their hands on one' to see if that's the case. Additionally, we are doing everything possible to assist and support the ongoing investigation.. DoD officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Brig. Durwood "Hawk" Jones, a Wisconsin Air National Guard pilot, died in December 2020, when his F-16 crashed in Michigan during a nighttime training exercise. Bizarre F-16s ground-to-ground kill injures two. Turner is an American talk radio host and blogger who was convicted in 2010 for threatening to assault three federal appeals court judges in Chicago, a crime that saw him barred from radio programming for three years. WebJun 10, 2021. An unidentified object was shot down over northern Canada on Saturday, and on Friday, an unidentified object was shot down in Alaska airspace by a US F-22. China is upset with the shooting down of the balloon. WebThe F-16s nose dropped to 90 degrees low, at 135 degrees of right bank, and at a speed of 600 knots that terminated with controlled flight into terrain, according to the report. And yet, not only are there no formations of Chinese troops in Canada, but the F-16, which belonged to the Wisconsin Air National Guard, crashed on a routine training mission Dec. 8, killing the pilot, Capt. The PRC balloon was different because it transited the continental US. He is the Founder and Editor of The Aviationist, one of the worlds most famous and read military aviation blogs. A new NOTAM was just issued by TCCA over Lake Huron, and U.S. military aircraft continue to canvas the area. Im glad to report it has been swiftly, safely, and securely taken down.". Great work by all who carried out this mission both in the air and back at headquarters. 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The US military shot downanother high-altitude objectover Lake Huron on Sunday afternoon, according to a US official and a congressional source briefed on the matter. As the other pilot was responding, Joness jet drew farther away from his wingman. -It was likely the same object detected over Montana, but that F-15s could not find once they arrived on scene. His military experience includes being Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army Infantry School at Ft. Benning, Georgia (Cycle C-6-1) and as a Scout Observer in a reconnaissance unit, Company F, 425th INF (RANGER/AIRBORNE), Long Range Surveillance Unit (LRSU). Contents of this blog/website may not be used without author's prior written permission. On Friday, an unidentified objectwas shot down in Alaska airspaceby a US F-22, and last weekend, a Chinese surveillance balloonwas taken down by F-22soff the coast of South Carolina. A review of the [F-16Cs] active and historical maintenance records revealed two unscheduled maintenance events during the 90 days preceding the mishap, including replacements of three coaxial connector and the embedded GPS, the report added. Make sure you give him a follow over on Instagram. The pilot ejected safely and The video is not from 2020 and does not show a Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) battalion training less than 100 miles from the US border. Joshua Rolfe, a spokesman for the Washington County Regional Communications Center, which includes Robbinston, told AFP in an email that: There were no reports of 50,000 Chinese troops. This is a huge deal. We did not assess it to be a kinetic military threat to anything on the ground, but assess it was a safety flight hazard and a threat due to its potential surveillance capabilities. This story will be updated as new information becomes available. WebOn 27 March 1999, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, a Yugoslav Army unit (the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade, which was under the leadership of Colonel Zoltn Dani) shot down an F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft of the United States Air Force by firing a S-125 Neva/Pechora surface-to-air missile. We do not have any information to share at this time, Air Force Lt. Col. Devin Robinson, a Pentagon spokesman, told The War Zone Sunday when we asked about the FAA NOTAM. A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 171st Air Refueling Wing was making orbits over the Great Lakes Sunday. The second one was a high altitude object described as cylindrical and silver-ish gray and appeared to be floating, that was shot down by F-22 launched from Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson on Feb. 10 over Alaska. We unequivocally support this action, and well continue to work with the U.S. and NORAD to protect North America.. The US military does not have new information on the country of origin or the physical or mechanical properties of the three objects downed over North America in the past three days, Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of the US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, told reporters Sunday. It was shot down by US F-16 fighter jets on Sunday and was flying at 20,000 feet over Michigans Upper Peninsula. -They are trying to understand the purpose and nature of these smaller unidentified objects. VanHerck was also concerned for the safety of the pilots and anyone on the ground or on water. Senator Chuck Schumer says the two objects shot down on Friday and Saturday were balloons, stating "They believe they were, yes. ", From CNN's Oren LiebermannandKylie Atwood. It's worth mentioning that there is high-fidelity visual intelligence that has been collected on these objects. Heres what they mean. All of this goes into the risk assessment as to how to act against a target of interest. 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Later Sunday, a US fighter jet shot down an unidentified object near Lake Huron, marking the fourth time in a week that the US military has taken down objects in North American airspace.
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