On Friday afternoon, the US fighter jets shot down an unidentified object flying about 40,000 feet over Alaska.
What is the Complete Story?
A car-sized object was detected about 40,000 feet over Alaska by the US fighter jets. The US officials said it’s not yet clear what it was.
The National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, made a statement that they’re calling it a high-altitude object as it’s only the best description they have right now.
The US fighter jets downed the object and it was not the first time a decision had been taken to shoot down something that was a threat over the skies of America.
Last Saturday, US fighter jets shot down a Chinese Spy Balloon off the South Carolina coast.
The only difference is that they knew what they were shooting down in that case. But this time, it’s a mystery, Kirby said.
US President Joe Biden ordered to shoot the object down as they discovered it posed a risk to civilian aircraft. The president took the decision without wasting any time as they faced a lot of criticism for waiting to shoot down the spy balloon China.
According to Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the object was shot down by an F22 fighter jet on Friday afternoon at 1:45 pm ET. Alaskan Republican Senator shared his view on shooting down the thing on his Twitter handle.
Like all Alaskans, I appreciate and am proud of the professional work of our Alaska-based military. Today’s shoot-down of another unidentified object over Alaska takes skill, precision, discipline and proficiency. (1/8)
— Sen. Dan Sullivan (@SenDanSullivan) February 10, 2023
He said he’s proud of the Alaskan military’s professional work by shooting down another unidentified object over Alaska.
The Mysterious Object was not as Same as the Chinese Spy Balloon
The mysterious object didn’t have the same kind of capabilities as the spy balloon. It was discovered it was smaller and lighter than the balloon.
On Thursday night, the fighter jets first identified this object. They discovered it was a small object equal to the size of a car. On the other hand, the spy balloon was as giant as 2-3 school buses.
They couldn’t find out much as they were flying at pretty high speed.
As there was no sunlight, it also made it difficult for them to see the object clearly. That is why they tried identifying the thing again on Friday morning. But still, the pilots failed to collect the complete information.
The officials didn’t even know whether the object was owned by the country, corporate or any private company. But on the other hand, it was very well known the spy balloon was owned by China.
What’s Next?
The next step will be studying the debris of the unidentified object. After shooting down, the thing landed inside US territory in the frozen water of the Arctic Ocean.
However, it was discovered that the area covered by its debris was smaller than the area covered by the spy balloon. Kirby said a recovery effort is going on, and hopefully, it will be successful.
Then it will become easier to learn more about the object.
Keep your eyes on us for further updates!
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