The US military has released footage showing the interception of an unidentified object shot down by an Air National Guard F-16 over Lake Huron in 2023.

According to The War Zone, the video is part of a new batch of declassified documents related to encounters between the US Armed Forces and unidentified flying objects.

The publication’s observers noted that at the 11-second mark, the sensor locks onto a contrasting area near the centre of its field of view. Around the 20-second mark, the footage appears to show an impact between two distinct contrast points, after which the original object breaks apart.

The War Zone believes the target was likely a balloon or an aerostat. The authors pointed to the way the object disintegrates at around 20 seconds, saying it visually resembles the rupture of a balloon envelope. The outlet also noted that US forces shot down several similar objects during the same period, one of which was later identified as a surveillance balloon.

The Lake Huron incident took place on February 12, 2023, when an F-16CM Viper struck the target with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at an altitude of about six kilometers. A later analysis of the debris found a component from a company that produces meteorological equipment.