US forces on Friday shot down an “unknown object” crossing US airspace off the coast of Alaska, “different” from the Chinese “spy balloon” shot down last week, the White House said. Mission to shoot down the object was “a success,” said US President Joe Biden.
The object, the size of “a small car”, was at an altitude of about 40,000 feet and posed “a threat to air traffic safety,” said John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesman.
The shooting down of this “unknown object” was authorized by President Joe Biden, according to John Kirby, who added that it differs from the Chinese “spy balloon” identified by the Americans last week.
Last week, US forces shot down what they called a Chinese “spy balloon” over the United States.
China has admitted the balloon is part of it, but said it was blown off course by high winds and was being used for meteorological purposes, not espionage.
John Kirby said today that the US government was notified Thursday evening of the presence of this target, whose wreckage fell into frozen water.
The US authorities will now try to recover the wreck.
According to Kirby, fighter pilots who visually examined the object confirmed that it was unmanned.
“We do not know which entity this object belongs to,” the White House National Security Council spokesman underlined.
The same source also specified that unlike the Chinese balloon, this as-yet-unidentified object appeared to have no propulsion system or controls with which to steer it.
Canadian President Justin Trudeau was informed of the shooting of the unknown object and stated that he “supported the decision”.
“Our military and intelligence agencies will always work together, including through NORAD. [Comando Norte-Americano de Defesa do Espaço Aéreo] to keep people safe,” Trudeau wrote in a post on Twitter.
An object was shot down this afternoon that violated US airspace. I was informed about the matter and supported the decision to take action. Our military and intelligence services will always work together, including through @NORADCommandto keep people safe.
– Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 10, 2023
The mission used an F-22 fighter, with a Sidewinder missile shooting down the unknown object, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said. quoted by Reuters. The object was shot down in northeast Alaska, near the Canadian border.
The Pentagon indicated that the “unknown object” was first detected via ground radar on Thursday. F-35 fighters were later sent to investigate the object.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that it has closed some of the airspace in northern Alaska to support the Department of Defense’s activities, Reuters reported.
A senior US official told CNN the object appeared to have no surveillance equipment and would be smaller and less sophisticated than the Chinese spy balloon shot down last week.
Washington announced this Thursday that the Chinese balloon that flew over the United States last week was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals, as part of a military air surveillance program targeting more than 40 countries.
Citing footage from the U-2 spy planes, the US government specified in statements to the Associated Press news agency on Thursday that a flotilla of balloons operated by China’s People’s Liberation Army is being used for espionage. , with equipment designed to collect information from targets around the world, with similar balloons already flying across five continents.
China argued that it was a “civil flying device used for research purposes, mainly meteorological”.
But the incident sparked a diplomatic rift that led US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a rare visit to China, while Beijing declined a call from Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin on Saturday shortly after the balloon was overthrown by North Americans. .
China’s defense ministry said today it rejected a call from the US defense secretary because Washington “has not created the right atmosphere” for dialogue.
The US action “is a serious violation of international standards and sets a bad precedent,” ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said in a statement.
News updated at 23:58
Source: DN
