An F-22 Raptor aircraft assigned to the 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, flies alongside a KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft assigned to the 92nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron after an in-flight refuel over Poland, Aug. 22, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Anthony Plyler).U.S. military fighter jets shot down another unidentified high-altitude object over Lake Huron on Sunday afternoon, the third time in as many days that military aircraft have downed such an object over North America.
Reuters reported the object shot down, citing two government officials, while Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) stated in a tweet that the U.S. military had “decommissioned” another object near his home state.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) stated in a tweet that the object was shot down by aircraft from U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has not yet issued a statement about the incident.
Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today. Get the latest military news, entertainment, and gear in your inbox daily.
The latest shootdown came after an American F-22, accompanied by Canadian fighter jets, shot down a high-altitude object in the skies above Canada’s Yukon territory on Saturday.
The day before, another F-22 shot down another object — described solely by the Department of Defense as the size of a small call — over northern Alaska.
The series of shootdowns came nearly a week after an F-22 took out a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, giving the air superiority fighter its first air-to-air kill in its history.
It is unclear what aircraft and munitions were used in the latest incident.
Recovery efforts are ongoing in all three previous instances, the most recent in coordination with Canadian authorities, according to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The shootdown comes after nearly 24 hours of sudden flight restrictions over American airspace. On Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration declared airspace restricted over part of Montana due to national security concerns, the same sort of alert that had accompanied previous shootdown missions.
Then, on Sunday, the FAA issued flight restrictions over Lake Michigan which were quickly lifted. That alert was followed by the shootdown hours later.
NORAD has not said what is behind the recent spike in alerts regarding breaches to U.S. airspace. However, the Washington Post reports that defense officials have expanded the parameters of what they are searching for following the events surrounding the Chinese surveillance balloon.
This is a developing story.
The latest on Task & Purpose Marine shown fighting with San Diego hotel staff in viral video charged with assault and battery * Air Force cadet died of blood clot in lung, autopsy finds * Airmen prepare to bid farewell to beloved ‘Big Sexy’ refueling tanker after 30 years of service * The US appears to have used its missile full of swords in an airstrike in Yemen * What the chances of a war between the US and China actually look like, according to experts*
Want to write for Task & Purpose?Click here.
The post US military downs yet another unidentified object in third shootdown in as many days appeared first on Task & Purpose.