First a Chinese observation balloon, now a mysterious flying object: For the second time within a few days, the US military has taken an object from the sky that is traveling in American airspace. What was happening?
What incident is it about?
The US Air Force shot down a “flying object” over “American territory” on Friday. The object was over Alaska at this time. A statement from National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said: “The Department of Defense has been tracking a high altitude object over Alaskan airspace for the past 24 hours.” The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet (about 12 kilometers) and “posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight”. On the recommendation of the Pentagon, President Joe Biden then ordered the shooting down.
What do we now know about the missile?
The missile was unmanned, the United States expressly does not speak of a balloon. The “New York Times” wrote that several US representatives 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 origin of the flying object is still unclear. “We call it an object because that’s the best description we have right now. We don’t know who owns it – whether it’s government, corporate or private, we just don’t know,” Kirby said. The military officials expressed confidence that the object was not a US military or government object. The object is “much, much smaller” than the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down off the Carolinas last Saturday, Kirby said, comparing it to roughly “the size of a small car.” The balloon shot down last weekend was described by US officials as about the size of three buses. According to Kirby, the current object should not have been manoeuvrable.
Were there attempts to stop the flight without launching it?
The object was first sighted on Thursday. According to the official statement, there were two attempts to get closer to the object when it was in the air. One was undertaken by fighter jets during the night, another took place the morning before they were shot down. However, both missions had only provided limited information. Eventually, F-22 fighter jets took off from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, according to Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder. At 1:45 p.m. EST, after the pilot verified that no one was on board, one of the fighter jets fired an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile, which struck and destroyed the object. It’s the same airplane-missile combination that brought down the Chinese balloon at high altitude last Saturday.
What was the object’s destination?
So far there is no information about the purpose for which the flying object was traveling. According to a US official, however, it was apparently not equipped with surveillance equipment.
Can it be examined?
The US authorities hope that they can recover debris after the launch to gain insights. From this, an attempt should be made to restore the original aircraft. According to Kirby, the object landed on the frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean near the Canadian border.
Why did you decide to launch it quickly this time?
Pentagon spokesman Ryder said the plane was operating at an altitude that posed a legitimate threat to civilian air travel. Referring to the long flight time of a suspected Chinese spy balloon, Ryder emphasized that each individual case had to be considered separately. Officials from the Department of Defense and NORAD, the joint US-Canada aeronautics and space agency, planned to shoot down the object during the day. This should ensure that the slow object is hit by a fast-flying jet.
Was Canada informed of what was happening?
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on Friday that he had been briefed on the shooting down of the aircraft. He “supports the decision to take action”. The military and security services of both countries would have worked together in this case. However, according to Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand, the aircraft did not enter Canadian airspace.
Were there any restrictions on air travel as a result of the campaign?
A plane carrying workers to an oil field off the Alaskan coast had to return to Anchorage. ConocoPhillips had previously been informed by US air traffic control that the airspace would be closed, company spokesman Dennis Nuss told US broadcaster CNN. The workers then started several hours late.