On February 13th, 2023, the US Air Force shot down three unidentified objects in the skies over Alaska. The objects were not balloons, aircraft, or anything else that could be easily identified. Audio from the cockpit of one of the fighter jets revealed a pilot saying “I wouldn’t really call it a balloon… I don’t know what… I can see it outside with my eyes. It’s so slow and so small you can’t see it. It’s just some kind of dark object. You can see some strings or something hanging down below it. I can’t tell if it’s holding anything.”
At least one of the objects has been described as octagonal in shape and was first spotted by radar near Billings, Montana on February 5th, 2023. The Pentagon has refused to speculate on what they could be but has said that they do not pose any kinetic threat to the United States or its allies. I don’t see how they can know this if they don’t even know what they are. They’re just trying to pacify everyone.
The White House has said that the leading theory is that these objects are “benign balloons connected to commercial or research activities”, but there is still no definitive answer as to what they are and where they came from. Some have speculated that they could be Chinese spy balloons sent to gather intelligence on US military activity just like the first that was shot down, but this has yet to be confirmed by either side.
The mystery surrounding these objects has led to a flurry of speculation and conspiracy theories online, with many people speculating about their origin and purpose without any real evidence to back up their claims. This lack of information has only added fuel to the fire and made it even more difficult for authorities to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Whatever these objects may turn out to be, they have sparked a great deal of interest among both experts and laypeople alike who are eager for answers as well as an explanation for why such a strange object was seen in US airspace in the first place. Until then, all we can do is speculate about what these mysterious octagonal objects might be and wait for further information from authorities about their origin and purpose.
Listen to the audio:
Just-released audio from inside the cockpit reveals pilots trying to figure out what the unidentified object over Lake Huron was. @OrenCNN reports pic.twitter.com/LyCnm6iwT4
— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) February 14, 2023