Alaska

An F-22 fighter jet from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson shot down an unidentified object flying above Alaska's North Slope on Friday, officials at the ...

US President Joe Biden ordered a fighter jet to shoot down an unidentified “high-altitude object” off Alaska on Friday, the White House says.

It had already flown across Alaska at a speed of 20 to 64km/h and was out over the sea travelling towards the North Pole, when it was shot down. He said that the object was flying at 12,000m over the northern coast of Alaska. Speaking at the White House on Friday, Mr Kirby said the debris field of the object shot down on Friday was “much, much smaller” than the balloon shot down last Saturday off the coast of South Carolina.

The U.S. has shot down a car-sized object flying at a high altitude above Alaska's coast. It's unclear if it's a surveillance instrument, like the balloon ...

An unidentified object was shot down 16km off the frozen coast of Alaska on Friday afternoon, US officials ...

It "did not appear to be self-maneuvering," Kirby said. When asked on Friday if lessons learned about China's balloon assisted in detecting the object shot down over Alaska, Ryder said it was "a little bit of apples and oranges." Ryder said on Friday that recovery teams have "mapped the debris field" and are "in the process of searching for and identifying debris on the ocean floor." Ryder also emphasised that officials do not know the origin of the object, which did not appear to be manned, and that it was shot down because it posed a "reasonable threat to civilian air traffic" as it was flying at 40,000 feet. He declined to provide a physical characterisation, only saying that it was "about the size of a small car" and "not similar in size or shape" to the Chinese surveillance balloon that was downed off the coast of South Carolina on February 4. There was not a significant concern about damage to people or property if the object was shot down, which was the primary reason the Chinese surveillance balloon was allowed to traverse the continental US last week.

The U.S. has shot down a car-sized object flying at a high altitude above Alaska's coast. It's unclear if it's a surveillance instrument, like the balloon ...

Owner and purpose unknown but officials say the object flew over sensitive military sites.

It's the same type of warplane and weapon that was used to take down the Chinese surveillance balloon in the Atlantic Ocean on Feb. Officials said the object was about the size of a small car, much smaller than the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down Feb. Its 40,000-foot altitude was much lower than the 65,000-foot altitude of the spy balloon. One of two F-22 Raptors from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage shot down the object with one AIM-9X Sidewinder missile at about 1:45 p.m. officials did not describe the object and were unable to say if it was a balloon, but did disclose that it was unmanned. Crews are working in below-zero temperatures and snow to recover the object.

An unidentified object moving over Alaskan air space was shot down by the U.S. military Friday afternoon, though Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen.

Ryder noted the effort to down the balloon was “a little bit of apples and oranges” when comparing an effort to down the object, noting the balloon was significantly larger and could carry a larger payload. Shoots Down Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Over Atlantic](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/02/04/chinese-spy-balloon-shot-down-biden-okd-downing-updates/?sh=606d45c53935) (Forbes) Shoots Down Object Over Alaska That Posed ‘Threat,’ Pentagon Says](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/02/10/us-shoots-down-object-over-alaska-that-posed-threat-pentagon-says/?sh=78f9eb156349) (Forbes) [U.S. Biden faced criticism for not shooting down the balloon when it was first detected over Alaska, contrasting the administration’s 24-hour surveillance of the object and subsequent shooting down. has “no further details” about the object’s capabilities, purpose or origin, though it did not appear to have any surveillance equipment. Pat Ryder noted little was known about the object, which officials did not indicate was connected to a suspected An unidentified object moving over Alaskan air space was shot down by the U.S. “We don’t know who owns it, whether it’s state-owned or corporate-owned or privately owned, we just don’t know.” Friday after it was first spotted traveling north east across Alaska on Thursday, Ryder Air Force shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina earlier this week, after it was seen hovering over the U.S. Both Kirby and Ryder provided limited information about the object’s physical appearance, only noting it was not similar to the Chinese balloon. The object did not appear to be “self-maneuvering” and was unmanned, Kirby said, noting the object was “at the mercy of prevailing winds.”

A U.S. military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the remote northern coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, ...

[balloon was part of a large surveillance program](https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-south-carolina-china-dfa08f4f47a58a638d4ef1d3a34b2a8b) that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground. He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about sensitive national security matters and spoke on condition of anonymity. government agencies to make sure it did not belong to any of them, and had confidence it was not a U.S. After the object was detected Thursday, NORAD — North American Aerospace Defense Command —sent F-35s to observe it, a U.S. Later Friday, the Pentagon said: “Recovery is happening in a mix of ice and snow. airspace off Alaska's Bullen Point, the site of a disused U.S. Unlike the suspected spy balloon, which was downed to live feeds and got U.S. Asked about the object's downing, Biden on Friday said only that “It was a success.” The Pentagon on Friday declined to provide a more precise description of the object, only saying that U.S. The object flew over one of the most desolate places on the nation.

High-altitude object the size of a small car was downed on Friday but its owner and purpose have yet to be identified.

US officials say the balloon was part of a fleet that has been used to collect intelligence in more than 40 countries on five continents. Another official from the Department of Defense told the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/10/us/politics/unidentified-object-shot-down-alaska.html) that the object broke into pieces when it hit the frozen sea. From the size comparison given by officials, the object that was flying over Alaska appears to be much smaller than the Chinese spy balloon. Officials have yet to publicly give further descriptions of the object that was travelling over Alaska besides its size, altitude and speed. “It had multiple antennas to include an array likely capable of collecting and geolocating communications.” [Alaska](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/alaska) flying at an altitude of 40,000ft, about the same level as commercial planes, and was travelling at about 20 to 40 miles per hour before it was struck down. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, “Quite honestly, the first line of defense is Alaska,” Murkowski said. Officials say the object had flown over parts of Alaska but was heading toward the north pole before it was struck down. Once spotted, officials quickly deemed the object a threat to civilian air traffic and ordered Alaska airspace to be temporarily closed. NORAD officials said that military aircraft are “currently operating from Alaska and Canada in support of [NORAD] activities”. American officials have not publicly commented on the airborne object seen near Canada.