The Indian Air Force (IAF) scrambled two Rafale fighter jets Sunday after an unidentified flying object (UFO) was seen over Manipur’s Imphal airport.
Flight operations were closed for more than three hours at the airport after the white, balloon-like object was caught on video above what appears to be one of the terminals. Footage shared by The Economic Times looks eerily similar to both the Chinese spy balloons that flew over the U.S. in 2023 and the infamous tic-tac shaped UFO that has fascinated researchers for years.
“Soon after information about the UFO near the Imphal airport was received, a Rafale fighter aircraft from a nearby airbase was scrambled to go and search for it,” India’s defense sources told local news agencies. “The aircraft equipped with advanced sensors carried out low-level flying over the suspected area to look for the UFO but it did not find anything there.”
The UFO disappeared as the sun started to set, but shortly after the airport resumed operations, the IAF’s Eastern Command activated its air defense response mechanism without giving any further information as to why. (RELATED: RyanAir Pilot Says UFO Appeared Shockingly Close To Passenger Flight)
Could it be that it really was a Chinese spy balloon? Let’s hope not. China and India are not really on the best of terms right now, according to the United States Institute of Peace. While neither side has said they want an escalation in any of their “provocative actions” toward each other … isn’t that what everyone says before things go wrong? So, let’s hope this is a real UFO. I don’t think the world can handle another conflict right now.