Drivers along one Colorado highway couldn’t help but be distracted by this shiny object.

In early December, those driving on Colo. 128 south of Boulder were greeted by a pointy metal object sitting atop a pickup truck. It was shaped like a long bullet or missile.

One local resident was so curious about the strange device that he pulled over to ask the small work crew about it, but they were all tight-lipped about the project, only saying that they were performing "engineering testing," according to the Daily Camera report.

A Daily Camera reporter saw a Ball logo on the pickup truck housing the device and tracked down their contact information. The company stated it was serving as a subcontractor on the project, but deferred other questions to Lockheed.

A Lockheed representative confirmed the project, saying the company was testing one of its “sensor technologies.” The representative declined to elaborate further, citing the “competition-sensitive” nature of the project.

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Angie McBrayer, ex-wife of James Aaron McBrayer, leans her head on her son Sam McBrayer as she and her three children and two grandchildren (from left) Jackson McBrayer, 3, Piper Jae McBrayer, 7, Katy Isaza, and Jordan McBrayer, visit the grave of James McBrayer, Thursday, November 20, 2025, in Tifton. He died after being restrained by Tift County sheriff's deputies on April 24, 2019. His ex-wife witnessed the arrest and said she thought the deputies were being rough but did not imagine that McBrayer would die. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC