What were the February 2023 high-altitude object shootdowns?

“Between February 4 and February 12, 2023, the U.S. and Canadian militaries shot down four unidentified high-altitude objects over North American airspace. The first was a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off South Carolina; the fourth was the F-16C engagement over Lake Huron now declassified as DOW-UAP-PR071 in PURSUE Release 02.”

The February 2023 high-altitude object incidents were a four-event sequence in which U.S. and Canadian forces engaged and destroyed unidentified objects over North American airspace within a nine-day window. February 4: U.S. Air Force F-22 fighters used an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile to down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the South Carolina coast at 60,000 feet. February 10: a smaller unidentified object was downed off northern Alaska. February 11: Canadian and U.S. fighters downed an unidentified object over Canada's Yukon Territory. February 12: a USAF Air National Guard F-16C downed an unidentified object over Lake Huron in the U.S. Northern Command area of responsibility. The Lake Huron gun-camera footage was declassified under PURSUE Release 02 on May 22, 2026 as catalog entry DOW-UAP-PR071. AARO has not publicly identified the origin of objects #2, #3, or #4 — only the first balloon has been attributed.