UPDATED 6:21 P.M.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. F-22 fighter jet on Friday shot down an unidentified object flying over Alaska, U.S. officials said, less than a week after the military brought down a Chinese balloon that had flown across the United States.
A Sidewinder missile downed the object, which was about the size of a small car, said U.S. Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson.
“We don’t know who owns this object,” said White House spokesperson John Kirby, adding that it was unclear where it began its flight.
President Joe Biden ordered the shootdown, which was announced from the White House.
On Feb. 4, another U.S. F-22 fighter jet brought down what the U.S. government called a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina following its week-long journey across the United States and portions of Canada. China’s government has said it was a civilian research vessel.
Lawmakers criticized the president for not shooting down the Chinese balloon sooner. The U.S. military had recommended waiting until was over the ocean out of fear of injuries from falling debris.
The Pentagon and the White House declined to give a detailed description of the latest object, saying only that it was far smaller than the Chinese balloon. The Pentagon said it was flying at about 40,000 feet (12,190 meters), posing a risk to civilian air traffic.
It was shot down over the far northeastern part of Alaska near the Canadian border where it had been traveling in northeasterly direction. The Pentagon said it was first detected on Feb. 9 using ground radars. F-35 aircraft were then sent to investigate further.
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Ryder said American pilots who flew alongside it determined that no human was aboard. He added it was incapable of maneuvering and did not resemble an airplane. Ryder and other officials would not say whether it could simply be a weather balloon or another type of balloon.
“It wasn’t an aircraft per se,” Ryder told a news briefing.
The F-22 shot down the object at 1:45 p.m. EST.
Asked why Biden’s authorization was necessary, Ryder acknowledged that the U.S. military commander overseeing North American airspace had the authority to shoot down objects that posed a military risk or risk to the American people.
“In this particular case, it was determined that this posed a reasonable threat to air traffic,” Ryder said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it closed some airspace in northern Alaska to support Department of Defense activities.
Since the shootdown of the 200-foot-tall (60-meter-high) Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon, U.S. officials have been scouring the ocean to recover debris and the undercarriage of electronic gadgetry.
Ryder told reporters “a significant” amount of the balloon had already been recovered or located, suggesting American officials may soon have more information about any Chinese espionage capabilities aboard the vessel.
After Friday’s object was shot down, some lawmakers praised Biden.
“Glad to see the President act swiftly on this new intrusion to our airspace,” Senator Mark Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said.
During an often contentious Senate hearing on Thursday, lawmakers criticized the Pentagon for not shooting down the Chinese balloon earlier, underscoring persistent concern in Congress about gaps in the U.S. ability to safeguard its airspace.
The House of Representatives on Thursday unanimously backed a resolution condemning the incursion of the balloon as “a brazen violation of United States sovereignty.”
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Steve Holland, Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis, Don Durfee and David Gregorio)
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UPDATED 4:23 P.M.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. F-22 fighter jet on Friday shot down an unidentified object flying over Alaska, U.S. officials said, less than a week after the military brought down a Chinese balloon that had flown across the United States.
A sidewinder missile brought down the object, which was about the size of a small car, said U.S. Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson.
President Joe Biden ordered the shootdown, which was announced from the White House – rare presidential level involvement given initial accounts suggesting the object did not pose a military threat and was fairly rudimentary.
On Feb. 4, another U.S. F-22 fighter jet shot down what the U.S. government called a Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina following its week-long journey across the United States and portions of Canada.
Republicans and even some of Biden’s fellow Democrats criticized the president for waiting before he acted against that first balloon. The incident set off a diplomatic crisis between the world’s two largest economies and caused U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a planned trip to Beijing.
The Pentagon and the White House declined to give a detailed description of the latest object to be shot down, saying only that it was far smaller than the Chinese balloon. The Pentagon said it was flying at about 40,000 feet (12,190 meters), posing a risk to civilian air traffic.
“We don’t know who owns this object,” said White House spokesperson John Kirby.
The object was shot down over the far northeastern part of Alaska near the Canadian border where it had been traveling in northeasterly direction. The Pentagon said it was first detected on Feb. 9 using ground radars. Fighter jets were then sent to investigate further.
Ryder said American pilots who flew alongside it determined that no human was aboard. He added it was incapable of maneuvering and did not resemble an airplane. Ryder and other officials would not say whether it could simply be a weather balloon or another type of balloon.
“It wasn’t an aircraft per se,” Ryder told a news briefing.
The F-22 shot down the object at 1:45 p.m. EST.
Asked why Biden’s authorization was necessary, Ryder acknowledged that the U.S. military commander overseeing North American airspace had the authority to shoot down objects that posed a military risk or risk to the American people.
“In this particular case, it was determined that this posed a reasonable threat to air traffic,” Ryder said.
Since the 200-foot-tall (60-meter-high) Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon was shot down, U.S. officials have been scouring the ocean to recover debris and the undercarriage of electronic gadgetry.
Ryder told reporters “a significant” amount of the balloon had already been recovered or located, suggesting American officials may soon have more information about any sophisticated Chinese espionage capabilities aboard the vessel.
“That will be very beneficial to us learning more about it,” Ryder said.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Steve Holland, Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis, Don Durfee and David Gregorio)
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UPDATED 2:08 P.M.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. fighter jet on Friday shot down over Alaska a high-altitude object that was the size of a small car, on the order of President Joe Biden, the White House said on Friday.
White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters many details were unknown about the object but the United States expected to recover the object after it landed in U.S. territorial waters.
It was unclear where the object came from, Kirby said. “We don’t know who owns this object,” he said.
He said the object, which had been flying at about 40,000 feet (12,190 meters), went down on the far northeastern part of Alaska near the Canadian border. He said the American pilot’s assessment was that no human was aboard.
The United States on Feb. 4 shot down off the coast of South Carolina a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon that transited the United States. U.S. officials have been recovering the debris from the 200-foot-tall (60-meter-high) balloon and its undercarriage of electronic gadgetry.
Kirby was careful not to classify the new object as a balloon.
He said the discovery of the new object and its track first came to U.S. attention on Thursday night. He said that, unlike the Chinese balloon, this object did not appear to be maneuverable and was at the mercy of the wind.
Biden ordered it shot down earlier on Friday, Kirby said.
Fighter aircraft assigned to the U.S. Northern Command took down the object, an American official said. The official said the territorial waters where the object went down are frozen.
“The unidentified object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to safety of civilian flight,” the official said.
There had been no indications of a military threat to people on the ground and whether it carried surveillance equipment was not immediately clear, the official said.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Steve Holland; Editing by Chris Reese and Jonathan Oatis)
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. fighter jet on Friday shot down over Alaska a high-altitude object that was the size of a small car, on the order of President Joe Biden, the White House said on Friday.
White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters many details were unknown about the object but the United States expected to recover the object after it landed in U.S. territorial waters.
It was unclear where the object came from, Kirby said. “We don’t know who owns this object,” he said.
He said the object went down on the far northeastern part of Alaska near the Canadian border. He said the American pilot’s assessment was that no human was onboard.
The United States on Feb. 4 shot down a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon that transited the United States.
Kirby was careful not to classify the object as a balloon.
He said the knowledge about the new object and its track first came to U.S. attention on Thursday night.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Steve Holland; Editing by Chris Reese)
LIVE: Pentagon briefing with Brig. Gen Pat Ryder https://t.co/B6oCi0IaJJ
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 10, 2023
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