UFO fever is gripping the US after a third mysterious object was shot down using a missile from a F-16 fighter jet yesterday. 

The 'octagonal' object with 'potential surveillance capabilities' flew near a sensitive military site in Montana before being taken over the Great Lakes on Sunday.

It follows a further two objects that were shot down over Alaska and Canada in the preceding days and a Chinese 'spy balloon' being eliminated the weekend before. 

While China claimed ownership of the spy balloon, the origin and purpose of the three subsequent unidentified flying objects are more mysterious, with the Pentagon refusing to rule out an extraterrestrial origin. 

The shape of two of the objects recalls the famous 'Tic Tac' UFO - a white oblong spotted by the US Navy in 2004. 

British UFO expert Nick Pope, formerly with the UK's Ministry of Defence, told MailOnline that he 'can't rule out a connection with the Tic Tac sighting' but cautioned that an overall explanation is 'still to be determined'. 

To read more, click here.