U.S. Shoots Down Another ‘High-Altitude Object’—This Time Over Alaskan Airspace

(CNSNews.com) – U.S. fighter aircraft on Friday shot down what the government is describing only as a “high-altitude object” as it flew over U.S. airspace in Alaska.

“I can confirm that the Department of Defense was tracking a high-altitude object over Alaska airspace in the last 24 hours,” White House National Security Council Communications Coordinator John Kirby said at a briefing.

“The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight,” Kirby said.

“Out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of the Pentagon, President Biden ordered the military to down the object and they did, and it came inside our territorial waters—and those waters right now are frozen, but inside territorial airspace and over territorial waters,” said Kirby.

“Fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command took down the object within the last hour,” he said.

At the Pentagon, Air Force Brigadier Gen. Pat Ryder added more detail about the event.

“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 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today within U.S. sovereign airspace over U.S. territorial water,” Ryder said.

“On Feb. 9, North American Aerospace Defense Command detected an object on ground radar, further investigated and identified the object using fighter aircraft,” said Ryder. “The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.”

“We have no further details about the object at this time, including any description of its capabilities, purpose or origin,” Ryder said.

“The object was about the size of a small car, so not similar in size or shape to the high-altitude surveillance balloon that was taken down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4,” he said.

Here are transcripts of the full statements of Kirby and Ryder:

Reporter: “Really briefly, can you speak to rumors that there is another Chinese balloon above Alaska or any other part of U.S. territory that the U.S. shot down?”

John Kirby: “So, I can confirm that the Department of Defense was tracking a high-altitude object over Alaska airspace in the last 24 hours. The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight. Out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of the Pentagon, President Biden ordered the military to down the object and they did, and it came inside our territorial waters—and those waters right now are frozen, but inside territorial airspace and over territorial waters. Fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command took down the object within the last hour.

_________________

Air Force Brigadier Gen. Pat Ryder: “So, first of all, to add to information already provided earlier by the White House, 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 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today within U.S. sovereign airspace over U.S. territorial water. On Feb. 9, North American Aerospace Defense Command detected an object on ground radar, further investigated and identified the object using fighter aircraft. The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.

“U.S. Northern Command is beginning recovery operations now. U.S. Northern Command’s Alaska Command coordinated the operation with assistance from the Alaska Air National Guard, Federal Aviation Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation

We have no further details about the object at this time, including any description of its capabilities, purpose or origin. The object was about the size of a small car, so not similar in size or shape to the high-altitude surveillance balloon that was taken down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4.          

“Separately, U.S. Northern Command continues their recovery operations in support of the recent take-down of the Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon. Recovery teams have mapped the debris field and are in the process of searching for and identifying debris on the ocean floor. Debris that has been recovered so far is being loaded onto vessels, taken ashore, catalogued and then moved onwards to labs for subsequent analysis.

“And while I won’t go into specifics, due to classification reasons, I can say that we have located a significant amount of debris so far that will prove helpful to our further understanding of this balloon and its surveillance capabilities. Of note, due to less than favorable sea states right now, teams will continue to conduct underwater survey and recovery as conditions permit.

“The Department wants to thank our inter-agency partners from the U.S. Coast Guard, the FBI and state and local authorities for their continuing assistance and partnership.”     

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