2023 high-altitude object shootdowns
After the Chinese spy balloon, US and Canadian jets shot down three unidentified objects over Alaska, the Yukon and Lake Huron in February 2023.
2023 CE · 44.80, -82.40 · status: explained
The account
Better radar filtering after the balloon incident revealed slow, small objects. When asked, NORAD's commander said he had 'not ruled out anything', which fuelled UFO speculation. Searches for all three were called off.
The sceptical view
The White House said they were probably commercial or research balloons, and documents released in 2024 showed recovered Lake Huron debris came from a weather-equipment company.
The researched reading
Three small balloons shot down after radar was tuned to look for them. Ordinary, though most debris was never recovered.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Something known, misidentified | 85% | The White House said they were probably commercial or research balloons; a hobby pico-balloon was last reported near the Yukon shootdown, and Canadian documents released in 2024 show debris recovered at Lake Huron came from a weather-monitoring equipment company. |
| Secret human technology | 6% | One or more could have been foreign surveillance balloons, as the first Chinese balloon was. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 4% | Most debris was never recovered, so a small share remains. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 2% | Radar filters were widened after the Chinese balloon, so many more small objects were noticed. |
| A known natural phenomenon | 1% | The objects were solid enough to be shot down. |
| A poorly understood natural phenomenon | 1% | No natural explanation is needed. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 1% | The shootdowns are documented by two governments. |
Official position: The US government said the three objects were most likely benign balloons.
Connections in the atlas
- Japan's SDF UFO-encounter orders
- The Yukon 'mothership'
- Object shot down off Deadhorse
- Object shot down over the Yukon
- ODNI Preliminary Assessment
- AARO established