Part of what it adds up to · step 3 of 7, “The atomic bomb woke it up”
Ordered to fire
Sixty years of air forces chasing these objects and trying to shoot them down, with no effect until 2023.
Our reading across the sources1948 to now2 min read
In 60 seconds
For sixty years air forces in nine countries on our record chased these objects, and some were ordered to shoot. Until 2023 the jets could not close, the guns would not bear or the weapons failed. Then the shooting began to work: Lake Huron, a Chinese "prepare to shoot" notice, the White Sands lure.
25 events: 12 on the record9 named witness4 unnamed insider0 UAP Trail’s reasoning
The claim, in our words · Our reading across 25 records
“Until 2023, every attempt on our record to engage one of these objects failed; since then, objects are being brought down.”
How it branched
Each line is a branch, named at its end. Dots are the key moments below.
Thin sourcingKey moment
InterceptsOrdersShoot-downs
The chase
Orders to fire
Fired, no effect
Shooting that works
The losses
19501960197019801990200020102020First order to shoot on our recordWeapons fail over Tehranfirst acknowledged kill
Turning points:1967 First order to shoot on our record · 1976 Weapons fail over Tehran · 2023 first acknowledged kill
Chapter 1 · 1947 to 1966
The intercepts
Radar and fighter chases in the US, Japan and England; the objects outrun or shadow the jets.
“Scrambled with orders to shoot; the engines flamed out at 55,300 ft.”
1956Venom gun-lock over LakenheathAThe first Venom got radar gun-lock; the target got behind it and stayed "glued" there for about ten minutes (Condon Report).On the record
Chapter 2 · 1967 to 2022
Orders to fire
From Turkey to Peru, Iran and Korea, commanders authorise weapons. Nothing hits.
“Imam zahvat u radaru. (I have a radar lock.) The missiles would not respond.”
1967Bandırma: F-5s with orders to shootDTwo armed F-5s scrambled with orders to shoot; at 55,300 ft their engines flamed out, the object still above 70,000 ft (Lt. Col. Hami Yüksel).Named witness
1975Prevlaka: missiles would not respondDAbout 15 MiG-21 scrambles over several days; radar lock, but the missiles would not respond. Tito was briefed (Col. Aleksandar Kostić).Named witness
1976Tehran: weapons failAIranian F-4s lose weapons and avionics as they close on a bright object; the case is in the DIA file.On the record
1980La Joya: 60 rounds of 30 mmBA Peruvian Su-22 fires about sixty 30 mm rounds at a hovering object with no effect, then chases it to 63,000 ft (Óscar Santa María Huertas).Named witness
Chapter 3 · 2023 to now
The shoot-downs
Lake Huron, Rizhao, White Sands and El Paso: objects are engaged and, by some accounts, recovered.
2023Lake Huron: the first shoot-downBAn F-16 shoots down an unidentified object after the February 2023 balloon days. The first acknowledged kill.On the record
2025White Sands: lure and captureBBurlison: officials set up "a perfect case scenario" and "something showed up". Coulthart says craft were downed, including with a microwave weapon (anonymous).Named witness
