war.gov PURSUE Release 02 – F-16C Shoots Down UAP over Lake Huron (Feb. 12, 2023)

First publicly declassified video of a US fighter jet shooting down a UAP. An F-16C Fighting Falcon of the US Air National Guard fires an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at an unknown object over Lake Huron, Michigan. The object – round or diamond-shaped with a jagged tail – fragments in a radial pattern suggesting a high-energy event. The video was originally uploaded by a user to a classified network (February 2023) and has now been declassified as part of PURSUE Release 02. Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna confirmed the use of an AIM-9X Sidewinder. The wreckage was not publicly recovered. Context: The event coincided with the shootdown of the Chinese spy balloon (Feb. 4, 2023), which led to heightened alert status. AARO description: '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.' Source: war.gov/UFO (Release 02, May 22, 2026), Daily Mail, Post Millennial, CBS News.