Congress Views Hellfire Missile ‘Bounce’ Off Mysterious Orb

Lead: A Hellfire missile fired by a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone at a fast-moving orb off Yemen appeared to strike but failed to destroy the object, footage shown to a House Oversight subcommittee revealed Tuesday on Capitol Hill.

Nut Graf: The unprecedented video, presented by Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), underscores growing congressional concern over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) and calls for greater transparency on potential national security threats posed by unexplained aerial encounters.

Video Shows Missile Impact Without Effect

Subcommittee members watched grainy footage of one Reaper illuminating the orb with its laser before a second drone launched the Hellfire round. The missile visibly connected with the target, yet the orb continued its trajectory intact, with fragments seemingly trailing behind it.

Whistleblower Testimony Raises Stakes

• Former Air Force personnel described separate UAP encounters, including a silent triangular craft near Langley AFB and a glowing “red square” above Vandenberg Space Force Base.
• Witnesses testified under oath that current U.S. arsenals could not explain an object surviving a Hellfire strike.

Lawmakers Demand Answers

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) pressed witnesses on whether any known technology could withstand such an impact. “No U.S. system could split a Hellfire missile like this and keep going,” experts replied, fueling concerns over potential foreign or unknown capabilities.

Transparency and National Security

With U.S. Navy operations active off Yemen’s coast during Houthi militant attacks, lawmakers emphasized the strategic risks of unexplained aerial contacts in combat zones. The Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office continues reviewing the video, obtained from an anonymous whistleblower, but has yet to offer public comment.