Monitoring Desk
WASHINGTON: The United States (US) claimed that a “high-altitude object” was shot down over Alaska earlier on Friday.
White House Spokesman John Kirby said the unmanned object was “the size of a small car” and was over a moderately populated area at the time.
US President Joe Biden took the decision to shoot down the unmanned object, which was of unknown origin, Kirby said.
It comes after the United States shot down a Chinese balloon over its territorial waters last Saturday.
Speaking at the White House on Friday, John Kirby explained that the object over Alaska was travelling at 12,000m (40,000ft) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the civilian plane.
He said the object had fallen into the United States waters that are currently frozen, adding that its rubble field was “much smaller” than the Chinese balloon shot down last week off the coast of South Carolina.
US intelligence officials noticed the object on Thursday
Intelligence officials noticed the object on Thursday evening, according to Kirby. “We do not know who owns this object, whether it is state-owned or privately owned or corporate-owned,” he said.
He said a fighter aircraft had approached the unmanned object and assessed there was nobody onboard, and this information was available to Mr Biden when he made his decision.
Press secretary of Pentagon Brigadier General Pat Ryder confirmed that an F-22 fighter jet shot down the object with a sidewinder missile at 18:45 GMT (13:45 EST).
Officials had yet to determine whether the object was involved in surveillance, and John Kirby corrected a reporter who referred to it as a balloon.
Kirby did not specify the exact location where the object was shot down; however, the Federal Aviation Administration said it had closed airspace in northern Alaska.
According to the White House, no other objects of a threatening nature have been identified over the US at this time.
