F-16 Lake Huron UFO Shootdown — February 12, 2023
On February 12, 2023, a U.S. Air Force F-16C from the Air National Guard engaged and downed an unidentified high-altitude object over Lake Huron — part of the February 2023 high-altitude-object incidents that began with the Chinese surveillance balloon. The gun-camera video (DOW-UAP-PR071) was declassified under PURSUE Release 02.
On February 12, 2023, a U.S. Air Force F-16C from the Air National Guard engaged and downed an unidentified high-altitude object over Lake Huron in the U.S. Northern Command area of responsibility — part of the February 2023 high-altitude-object incidents that began with the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon downed off South Carolina on February 4. The Lake Huron engagement was confirmed in real time by then-President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and by U.S. and Canadian defense officials. The gun-camera infrared video from the F-16C — catalog entry DOW-UAP-PR071, 46 seconds — was uploaded to a classified network the same month the engagement occurred and was declassified under PURSUE Release 02 on May 22, 2026. AARO's video description notes 'a kinetic interaction between two distinct areas of contrast, with the initial subject of the footage fragmenting in a radial displacement pattern that suggests a high-energy event.'
“A kinetic interaction between two distinct areas of contrast, with the initial subject of the footage fragmenting in a radial displacement pattern that suggests a high-energy event.”
What the clip shows
DOW-UAP-PR071 is a 46-second infrared (FLIR) video. At approximately the 20-second mark, the AARO video description notes 'the footage appears to depict a kinetic interaction between two distinct areas of contrast, with the initial subject of the footage fragmenting in a radial displacement pattern that suggests a high-energy event.' The 'distinct areas of contrast' correspond to the F-16C's AIM-9X Sidewinder missile (the second contrast area) and the target object (the first), and the 'radial displacement pattern' is the missile detonation fragmenting the object.
Context: the February 2023 high-altitude-object incidents
The Lake Huron engagement was the fourth of four shootdowns of unidentified high-altitude objects over North American airspace during February 4-12, 2023. The first was a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon downed off the South Carolina coast on February 4. The second and third were unidentified objects downed off Alaska (February 10) and over Canada's Yukon Territory (February 11). The Lake Huron object was the fourth and final; AARO has not formally identified its origin in public materials.
Why this clip was previously held back
The Lake Huron clip was uploaded to a classified network in February 2023 — the same month as the engagement — but was not declassified for public release until May 22, 2026, more than three years later. The classification holdback was longer than for most CENTCOM mission reports of the same era. AARO and NORTHCOM have not publicly explained the delay; the most likely factor is the AIM-9X Sidewinder engagement geometry, which would have revealed precise capability parameters of the F-16C weapons system.
Where to watch the clip
The official DVIDS URL is dvidshub.net/video/1007727. UAP.WATCH's mirror page for the clip is at /video/vid-070 with the AARO description, sensor type, and related-incident cross-references.