The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) abruptly shut down a “national defense airspace” over portions of Lake Michigan, the latest in a series of aviation closures as reports come out of “objects” being shot down.
According to the agency, the closure was put in place so the U.S. Military could look into a “potential contact” that was later found to not be a threat.
“Pilots who do not adhere to the following [procedure] may be intercepted, detained, and interviewed by law enforcement or security personnel,” the FAA announced on Sunday.
NOW: E-3 Sentry currently heading towards Lake Michigan.
USAF KC-135 is still active, likely dragging fighters. pic.twitter.com/2b656ceLV9
— Upward News (@UpwardNewsHQ) February 12, 2023
As Townhall reported, some of Montana’s airspace was closed down for “national defense purposes” on Saturday and was opened again just a few hours later.
Once the FAA ended its flight closure over Montana on Saturday, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) proclaimed the issue was explained by a simple radar anomaly.
Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) indicated he was not convinced by the agency’s conclusion that the perceived threat turned out benign.
“I am in constant communication with NORCOM (sic) and they have just advised me that they have confidence there IS an object and it WAS NOT an anomaly. I am waiting now to receive visual confirmation. Our nation’s security is my priority,” Rosendale wrote Sunday.
“Those aircraft did not identify any object to correlate to the radar hits. NORAD will continue to monitor the situation.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Steve Daines, (R-MT) said he is in “direct contact with the Pentagon” in order to address the object seen in Montana’s skies, with more information to come.
“Montanans still have questions about the Chinese spy balloon that flew over our state last week,” stated Daines. “I’ll continue to demand answers on these invasions of US airspace.”
This news comes as the U.S. government has taken down three aircraft in North America this month, beginning with the alleged Chinese spy balloon on Feb. 4. The other two balloons were blasted over Alaska and Canada.
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) reportedly said he was “aware of the object in Montana air space and remain [sic] in close contact with senior DOD and Administration officials.”
