So in an effort to consolidate information, this megathread has been created.
The aerial events first came to the attention of the public with a high altitude balloon being observed by pilots approaching Alaska around Feb 2nd.
Chinese "spy balloon" over CONUS. The balloon was then tracked to Montana, where it
appeared to loiter over military installations, including our Minuteman ICBM fields. The decision was made not to shoot it down over Montana, and it
was tracked via U-2s out of Beale AFB, California and other airborne assets as it moved from Montana to Missouri. Over Missouri it was tracked by
RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft, as well as RC-135U Combat Sent. The Rivet Joint is designed to track and record communications signals, while the
Combat Sent is designed to track various radar emissions.
U-2S
RC-135V/W
RC-135U
The balloon then crossed into the Carolinas, where it was shot down just after crossing the coast over the Atlantic. An F-22 Raptor from Langley AFB,
Virginia was used with F-15 back stop, along with KC-135 support. The F-22s used the callsign FRANK01-04. This callsign was in honor of Frank Luke,
JR who flew in WWI. He was known as the Arizona Balloon Buster, and was credited with shooting down 14 German observation balloons during the war. A
single AIM-9X infrared guided missile was used to bring the balloon down in roughly 50 feet of water.
US shoots down Chinese spy balloon off East Coast.
F-22 Raptor
KC-135 Stratotanker
AIM-9 Sidewinder
Around Feb 9th, another high altitude object was tracked over Alaska. Lockheed F-35As based at Eielson AFB were scrambled to identify the object, and
found a "cylindrical shaped object". There was no evidence of payload on this object, and the following day F-22s from Elmendorf AFB in Alaska were
deployed to shoot it down. The object was described as "the size of a small car, greyish in color, and cylindrical", and was flying around 40,000
feet which put it at an altitude where it could potentially conflict with commercial aircraft flying through the area. Again, a single AIM-9X was
launched, and brought the object down near Deadhorse, close to Prudhoe Bay. It crashed onto ice, and is reported to have exploded. Recovery efforts
are currently underway, but due to weather, and limited daylight, recovery could take up to two weeks.
High-Altitude Object shot down over Alaska, US says.
Shortly after, two more objects were detected approaching the Canadian border. One of the objects was identified by RCAF F-18s, after which NORAD
assistance was requested. This objects were again flying at lower altitudes, and the decision was made to launch F-22s out of Elmendorf to shoot the
object down. The object was then shot down over the Yukon.
Two or MORE potential spy
balloons are being monitored by US military-with one airborne over Canada.
Third
High-Altitude Object Shot Down By US Fighter Jet The second object was tracked to Montana again. A pair of F-15s from Portland were launched to
search the area, with a KC-135 from Fairchild AFB to support them. The F-15s were using ROCK41 and ROCK42.
ROCK41/42 scramble.
The F-15s were unable to find the object and the search was called off overnight. The following day, F-16s from the 148th Fighter Wing from Duluth,
Minnesota were sent to search over Lake Michigan for the object.
FAA declares 'National
Defense Airspace' over Lake Michigan. This object was described as Octagonal and flying at lower altitude. A KC-135, and an E-3 Sentry
(SNTRY25, 78-0578) also joined the search. A second KC-135 was eventually dispatched to assist (59-1488 from Maine) as MOLSON01.
E-3 Sentry (AWACS)
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The FAA shut down the TFR over Lake Michigan, and a new TFR was opened over Lake Huron
This keeps getting weirder....Canada closes airspace east of Lake Michigan. Shortly
after the TFR was opened, reports of a shootdown began to come in.
ABC reporting Lake
Huron UAP shootdown. Two F-16s using the callsign AESIR11 and AESIR12 (91-0405 and 91-0408) from the 148th Fighter Wing were responsible for
the shootdown, supported by SNTRY25, and KC-135 58-0084.
edit on 2/12/2023 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)
edit on 2/13/2023 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)