defense
USA: mystery about another “flying object” after launch
Security Council spokesman John Kirby at the White House briefing on Friday. photo
© Susan Walsh/AP/dpa
After shooting down a Chinese balloon, the US military is now also taking a “flying object” out of the sky over Alaska. What it is and where it comes from is still unclear.
The US Air Force shot down another “flying object” over American territory on Friday – but many questions about the incident remain unanswered.
It was initially unclear where the flying object had come from and what purpose it served. It had no surveillance equipment, the broadcaster CNN reported in the evening (local time), citing a US government representative. According to the military, the shooting down over the US state of Alaska posed no major risk to people or buildings on the ground.
A Pentagon spokesman said an F-22 fighter shot down the aircraft at 1:45 p.m. EST on Friday. The main reason for this was the threat to civil air traffic, which operates at a similar altitude. The Chinese balloon had flown significantly higher – a good 18 kilometers above the ground and thus far above the maximum altitude for civil air traffic. After the pilot of the fighter jet verified that the craft was unmanned, President Joe Biden recommended shooting it down “as a precautionary measure,” said National Security Council communications director John Kirby.
Connection to alleged spy balloon?
It was initially unclear whether there was a connection to the Chinese balloon that was allegedly used for espionage purposes and that was taken from the sky a week ago. The US military let it hover over the American mainland for several days and then shot it down over the Atlantic off the coast of the state of South Carolina. The United States accuses China’s government of using it to spy on military facilities. Beijing, on the other hand, spoke of a civilian research balloon that was off course – and described the launch as an “overreaction”. The incident caused additional tension in the already strained relationship between the two countries.
The US government did not provide any information on the origin of the new flying object. “I want to reiterate that we do not know who owns this property,” Kirby said. It was much smaller than the balloon. “It was the size of a small car.” The balloon, on the other hand, was more the size of two or three school buses. The debris field to be expected is therefore much smaller, according to Kirby.
The United States hope to find out more by recovering the rubble
The US government is now hoping for more information by recovering the rubble. After being shot down off the coast of Alaska near the Canadian border, parts of the object probably fell onto frozen water. The Washington Post wrote that the salvage would be difficult because boats could not reach the site of the crash.
The “New York Times” wrote that several US officials believed that the new object was also a balloon. However, a representative of the Ministry of Defense emphasized that the object broke into pieces when it hit the frozen sea. This actually contradicts the balloon theory.
The flying object was first sighted on Thursday evening (local time), Kirby said. Biden was informed immediately and gave the firing order on Friday morning. Canada supported the decision and was in the know, said neighboring country Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.