Residents of several areas in Shandong Province, mainland China, witnessed a rare aerial phenomenon on the night of September 12. Many witnesses reported seeing a bright point of light moving rapidly across the night sky, followed by two loud booms and visible flashes.
Videos recorded by locals were quickly shared online, drawing widespread attention on Chinese social media.
According to the newspaper China Blue News, witnesses described initially spotting an object moving at high speed in a parabolic trajectory.
Moments later, a second luminous object appeared from another direction. As the two crossed paths in the sky, there was a bright flash and a deafening explosion, so intense that some residents initially thought it was thunder or a detonation.
According to Yahoo News, military experts stated that, based on the characteristics reported, the event was most likely a missile interception test. The first object was probably a simulated target missile, while the second was an interceptor missile.
These tests are conducted to assess the effectiveness of air defense systems, particularly terminal missile interception technology.
Some locals reacted with understanding:
“It’s normal for a country to carry out the necessary national defense tests. As long as safety measures are taken, it’s fine,” one person commented.
Others joked:
“We finally got to see what the ‘Dongfeng Express’ looks like.”
On social media, alternative theories began to emerge. Some users suggested it could have been space debris re-entering the atmosphere, such as remains of satellites or rockets.
Similar incidents occurred in 2023, when debris was seen over Jinan, Shandong, and in May this year in Anhui Province.
However, many pointed out that the footage clearly shows an object being shot down, fueling speculation:
“Could it have been a drone secretly filming a military base and got taken down?”
“No foreign drone would dare violate Chinese airspace like that.”
“Could a drone even produce such a bright light?”
“It looked like something straight out of Star Wars.”
According to Sinchew.com, no official statement has been issued so far, and major Chinese media have not released further details.
Experts emphasize that major military powers around the world regularly conduct such tests as part of national defense strategies. These exercises are not necessarily aimed at any specific country but are intended to improve a nation’s defense capabilities.
For now, the incident remains shrouded in mystery, with some believing it was just a routine military test, while others suspect that something truly unknown may have been shot down in the skies over China.
Update:
The Chinese military officer Zhao DaShuai, who is very active on the X platform, shared a video showing the incident. In her post description, she referred to the episode as “an interception of something” by the Chinese government, without saying what that something might be.
“Something was intercepted by our air defense system off the coast of Shandong, facing the Korean Peninsula.”
Here is her post:
Something was intercepted by our air defense system off of the coast of Shandong, facing the Korean Peninsula. pic.twitter.com/RNwQ7FRrqm
— Zhao DaShuai 东北进修🇨🇳 (@zhao_dashuai) September 13, 2025
