Unidentified Airborne Object
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he ordered the takedown after it violated Canadian airspace
U.S. fighter aircraft shot down an unidentified, high-altitude airborne object, which violated Canadian airspace on Saturday, according to U.S. and Canadian officials. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he ordered the object be downed on Saturday. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) fired at the object while it was above Yukon, according to a statement by Trudeau on Twitter.
“I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object,” Trudeau said, adding he had been in contact with President Biden. “Canadian Forces will now recover and analyze the wreckage of the object. Thank you to NORAD for keeping the watch over North America,” Trudeau tweeted.
Meanwhile, recovery operations are underway near Deadhorse, Alaska, per a release addressing another object that President Biden ordered shot down on Friday afternoon, as CNN reports. U.S. Northern Command and the Alaska National Guard are involved in the recovery activities, alongside the FBI and local law enforcement. As is the case with the flying object shot down on Saturday, the specifics of the object downed near Alaska on Friday are still unclear as teams are working in wind, snow, and ice to recover debris and other object material.
“We have no further details at this time about the object, including its capabilities, purpose and origin,” the Pentagon said in a statement via The New York Times.
In late January, a Chinese spy balloon traversed the U.S. for several days before President Biden ordered it shot down on Feb. 4. Northern command is also continuing its recovery operations of the debris from the surveillance balloon, the Pentagon said in a statement on Saturday.