Washington: US military fighter jets shot down an octagonal object over Lake Huron on Sunday, the Pentagon said, the latest incident since a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon put North American security forces on high alert. It was the fourth unidentified flying object to be shot down over North America by a US missile in just over a week. Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said in an official statement that a US F-16 fighter jet on the orders of President Joe Biden shot down the object over Lake Huron on the US-Canada border at 2:42 pm local time.
Although it did not pose a military threat, the object could potentially interfere with domestic air traffic because it was traveling at 20,000 feet (6,100 m), and could have surveillance capabilities, Ryder said.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the object appeared to be octagonal in structure, with wires hanging from it, but no payload.
The Pentagon said the object was recently seen near sensitive military sites near Montana, prompting the closure of US airspace.
The incident raised questions about the spate of unusual objects seen in North American skies in recent weeks and raised tensions with China.
“We need facts about where they are originating, what their purpose is and why their frequency is increasing,” said US Representative Debbie Dingell, one of several lawmakers from Michigan.
US officials identified the first object as a Chinese surveillance balloon and shot it down off the coast of South Carolina on 4 February. And A third object destroyed over Canada’s Yukon on SaturdayInvestigators are still searching the wreckage.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Sunday, “The safety of civilians is our top priority and that’s why I made the decision to shoot down the unidentified object.”
North America has been on high alert against aerial intrusion following the appearance of white, sleek Chinese airships over American skies earlier this month.
That 200-foot-long (60-meter-high) balloon — which Americans have accused Beijing of spying on the United States — caused an international incident, with Chief Secretary of State Antony Blinken announcing China’s planned flight in just hours. Stopped traveling. before he left.
Pentagon officials said they have been examining the radar more closely since then and have not been able to identify what the most recent objects are or how long they have been aloft.
North America has been on the alert against aerial intrusions following the appearance of white, sleek Chinese airships over American skies earlier this month.
That 200-foot-long (60-meter-high) balloon — which Americans have accused Beijing of spying on the United States — caused an international incident, with Chief Secretary of State Antony Blinken announcing China’s planned flight in just hours. Stopped traveling. before he left.
Pentagon officials said they have been examining the radar more closely since then and have not been able to identify what the most recent objects are or how long they have been aloft.
“We’re calling them objects, not balloons, for a reason,” said Glenn VanHerk, an Air Force general who protects US airspace as head of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Northern Command.
VanHerk told reporters that the military would try to recover the object that fell over Lake Huron, which he said likely fell into Canadian waters.
Fears of surveillance seem to have US officials on high alert.
Twice in 24 hours, US authorities closed the airspace – only to swiftly open it.
On Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration briefly closed the space over Lake Michigan. On Saturday, the US military scrambled fighter jets to investigate a radar anomaly in Montana.
China denies that the first balloon was being used for surveillance and says it was a civilian research craft. It condemned the United States for shooting it down off the coast of South Carolina last Saturday.
Chuck Schumer, the majority leader in the US Senate, told US broadcaster ABC that US officials believe two of the latest items were balloons smaller than the original.
The White House said only that the recently dropped objects “did not resemble Chinese balloons”, calling Schumer’s description “very short”.
A spokesman said, “We certainly won’t be marking them until we’ve fixed the wreckage which we’re working on.”