2023 Lake Huron high-altitude object
Approximate location where the object was shot down. | |
| Date | February 12, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Location | Lake Huron |
| Type | Airspace violation |
| Outcome | Downed by AIM-9 Sidewinder missile fired by U.S. Air National Guard F-16C fighter aircraft |
On February 11, 2023, an octagonal unidentified flying object was detected over northern Montana. It disappeared until it was spotted the next day in Wisconsin, flying at 20,000 feet over the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The object was tracked by NORAD.
The object was shot down over Lake Huron by order of U.S. President Joe Biden on February 12, by an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile fired from a Minnesota Air National Guard F-16.
On February 16, 2023, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced that the search for the object had been suspended due to deteriorating weather and low chance of recovery. However, documents made available to the public in November 2024 revealed that debris had been recovered and that the object was "from a company who sells weather monitoring equipment."