The United States shot down a “high-flying object” over Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, a White House spokesman said Friday, without giving further details on its nature, origin or use.
• Also read: China’s balloon “apparently” equipped with spy tools
• Also read: Washington conjures up a “fleet” of Chinese spy balloons
This “object,” which is “the size of a small car” and flying at an altitude of about 40,000 feet, “poses a threat to air travel security,” said John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
He said the object was “much smaller” than the Chinese balloon that the United States destroyed last Saturday and that Washington said was conducting espionage operations.
The US government became aware of the presence of this object, whose debris fell on frozen waters, “last night” and will attempt to recover it, John Kirby said.
“We don’t know who owns this property,” he stressed, and we don’t know, for example, whether it’s owned by the state or privately.
The spokesman also stated that unlike the Chinese balloon, this as-yet-unidentified object appeared to have no propulsion system or controls that enabled it to steer.