Secret U.S. Military Operations Have Reportedly Closed Ocean Airspace by LAX Over Next Week (UPDATE: Mystery Light Spotted in Night Sky Is Trident Missile Test Flight)

UPDATE 12:31 a.m. Sunday ET: TheBlaze received confirmation late Saturday from the Defense Press Office that Navy Strategic Systems Programs conducted a scheduled Trident II missile test flight from the USS Kentucky, an Ohio Class ballistic missile submarine, in the Pacific Test Range off the coast of Southern California.

"The tests were part of a scheduled, ongoing system evaluation test," the emailed release stated. "Launches are conducted on a frequent, recurring basis to ensure the continued reliability of the system. Each test activity provides valuable information about our systems, thus contributing to assurance in our capabilities."

The release added that the missile was not armed and that "Strategic Systems Programs does not routinely announce missile testing. Information regarding the test launch of Trident II (D5) missiles is classified prior to the launch."

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UPDATE 11:29 p.m. ET: TheBlaze has learned from a federal defense source that a mystery light seen Saturday night was Trident missile test from a Navy submarine.

Witnesses across SoCal, other states report seeing bright light streak across sky https://t.co/cIAb1nlu2H pic.twitter.com/qDzbQtMYSF

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) November 8, 2015

It appeared related to the operations off the southern California coast previously reported.

More: I'm told this was simply regular readiness test for submarine crews and systems.

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy)

November 8, 2015

The light in the sky caught the attention of many about 6 p.m. local time, and some video and photos hit social media:

Content warning:A softly spoken profanity seems to be audible in the clip:

Can someone explain what this bright light over LA's sky is? @ABC7 pic.twitter.com/Rddvjnf9Tt

— Mayde Gomez (@ABC7Mayde) November 8, 2015

KABC-TV reported that it was a rocket launched from the Point Mugu Naval Base, while the U.S. Coast Guard Sector of Los Angeles and Long Beach confirmed it was a rocket launched from the base. The Orange County Sheriff's Department tweeted that the light was a test conducted by the U.S. Navy off the coast, the station added.

Original story below

Secret military operations over the Pacific Ocean are reportedly responsible for incoming flight pattern changes around Los Angeles International Airport over the next week, KABC-TV reported.

But as far as what's precisely going on? That's a hush-hush matter. LAX officials don't know the reason for the temporary change. The military is mum, too, the station said.

In order to reduce noise generated by late-night landings, planes head out to the ocean a tad and then drop down to the LAX runways — but this week the ocean airspace is closed to incoming flights, so the neighbors might be kept awake.

KABC recalled what was believed to be a military exercise in downtown L.A. six years ago, complete with helicopters maneuvering between tall buildings. Similar scenes have been reported around the country in recent years.

(H/T: Drudge Report)

This story has been updated.

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