As per government officials, an unidentified object flying over Alaska was shot down by a US F-22 fighter jet on Friday. A Sidewinder missile hit the object, and it was drowned in frozen territorial waters, Pentagon’s chief spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder confirmed.
The development comes less than a week after the military brought down a Chinese surveillance balloon near the Carolina coast. The authorities have not yet confirmed if the object shot down on Friday was another balloon. It is also unclear who owned the object and where it began its flight.
US Shoots Down Unidentified Object Flying Above Alaska
The ‘high-altitude’ object is said to be the size of a small car. “We don’t know who owns this object. We’re calling this an ‘object’ because that’s the best description we have right now,” explained National Security Council Coordinator spokesperson John Kirby. The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and ‘posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.’
“At the direction of the President of the United States, fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command successfully took down a high-altitude airborne object off the northern coast of Alaska at 1:45 Eastern Standard Time today within U.S. sovereign airspace over U.S. territorial water,” said Brig Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary.
The object was downed off the coast of Alaska over frozen water, which would make it easier to collect the debris. As per officials, the object shattered on hitting the frozen water, and it has become difficult to determine whether it was a drone, a balloon or something else.
A Chinese Balloon was Shot Down Last Week
Last Saturday, a Chinese surveillance balloon flying over the Carolina coast was shot down in an operation authorized by the President. The balloon hovered over the country for eight days before being taken down.
“I ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down on Wednesday as soon as possible. They decided that the best time to do that was when it got over water outside within a 12-mile limit. They successfully took it down, and I want to compliment our aviators who did it, and we’ll have more to report on this a little later,” President Biden had said in a statement.
At the time, the President was criticized for the delay in response, but he explained that shooting the balloon down earlier would have posed a threat to the population on the ground. On the contrary, the UFO was downed sooner as it was floating over the ocean. The object is also reported to be way smaller than the balloon.
Another Unidentified High-Altitude Object Spotted Over Canada
Soon after the UFO was shot down, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that another unidentified object was seen hovering in Canadian airspace. This object has also been taken down by a US F-22 fighter jet in the Yukon territory.
I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 11, 2023
“I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object,” Trudeau tweeted on February 11.
“I spoke with President Biden this afternoon. Canadian Forces will now recover and analyze the wreckage of the object. Thank you to NORAD for keeping the watch over North America,” he wrote further.
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