February 4 and February 10–12, 2023 / T228
Chinese balloon and three later unidentified-object shootdowns
South Carolina coast; Alaska; Yukon; Lake Huron
Witness account
The United States shot down a Chinese high-altitude balloon off South Carolina on February 4. Three further objects were downed over or near Alaska on February 10, Yukon on February 11 and Lake Huron on February 12. These were four separate events, not four confirmed Chinese surveillance balloons or four alien craft. Expanded radar attention after the first incident was part of the context.
Public record
Official statements and contemporaneous operational reporting document the actions. In February 16 remarks, President Biden said the intelligence community's leading assessment was that the later three were likely balloons associated with private, recreational or research activity, with no indication at that point of a Chinese surveillance connection.