Los Angeles UFO was actually a missile test, U.S. navy says

Social media from California to Arizona lit up on Saturday night with reports of streaking lights across the skies, but the phenomenon turned out to be an unarmed U.S. nuclear missile launched off the Southern California coast, the Pentagon said.

A Pentagon public affairs spokesman said a U.S. navy Trident II (D5) missile test flight was conducted at sea from the USS Kentucky, a nuclear-powered, ballistic missile submarine.

Users of social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook posted photos, comments and video of the lights, wondering whether they might have come from everything from a meteor to a UFO.

The tests of the unarmed missile were part of a scheduled, on-going system evaluation test, according to the spokesman, Commander Ryan Perry.

Such launches are conducted on a frequent, recurring basis to ensure the continued reliability of the system, Perry said, as well as to provide systems information and assurances of their capabilities.

Because information regarding the test launch of Trident II missiles is classified prior to the launch, such missile testing is not routinely announced, he noted.

However, there were earlier hints when on Friday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines to avoid the area over the Pacific west of L.A. on Saturday night, without saying why. 

The Trident II is a three-stage missile with a range of more than 11,000 kilometres at normal capacity, and is a main part of the United States's nuclear arsenal. When armed, in its standard configuration it carries eight nuclear warheads that can be independently targeted.