Following yet another shootdown of an object over the U.S., a senior government official confirmed that the “object” downed over Alaska Friday breached the nation’s airspace before it was detected.
Speaking to Fox News, the official said the unidentified craft was over Alaska near the state’s northern coast Thursday night.
It was Friday afternoon when National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed that the U.S. military fired on and downed the “object” over the territorial waters of Alaska.
Kirby explained that the craft came down on frozen waters and added that “fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command took down the object within the last hour.”
His statement clarified that the high altitude “object” was not “off” the Alaska coast as was initially reported. That it was shot down over “territorial waters” does not change the fact that U.S. airspace was once again breached.
The Pentagon shot down an unidentified object over frozen waters around Alaska on Friday at the order of President Biden, John Kirby, a White House spokesman, confirmed. https://t.co/S3EYHBCS0M pic.twitter.com/bxxO6Oo7Nb
— The New York Times (@nytimes) February 10, 2023
Kirby also noted that the “object” was “much, much smaller than the spy balloon that we took down last Saturday.” Officials determined that the craft, which was flying at 40,000 feet, posed a “reasonable threat” to civilian flights.
It was described as being roughly the size of a small car.
The Pentagon confirmed that wreckage from the craft was located. Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder reported the intruder was taken down by an F-22 firing an A9X missile. The aircraft originated from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
It was just a week before when the high-altitude Chinese spy balloon made its way across the continental U.S. before being shot down off the South Carolina coast. That craft was also brought down by an F-22 deploying an A9X missile.
Political pressure is mounting on the Biden White House to explain not only why the spy balloon was allowed to cross the country, but why there are seemingly numerous objects able to penetrate U.S. airspace before being detected.
After controversy exploded over the balloon crossing the nation, one thing is certain. There now appears to be much less hesitancy from the White House and military in ordering the downing of foreign objects over the nation.
