US fighter jet shoots down 2nd 'unidentified object' over Canada
What's the story
The United States Air Force fighter jet shot down yet another unidentified object over Canada on Saturday (local time), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, adding the joint operation was launched following his orders, CNN reported. This is the second such instance in just two days and came less than a week after the US downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The latest incident is among a series of similar instances in the US and Canada. It comes nearly a week after an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the US Air Force. However, China denied the allegations saying it was a weather observation airship. Moreover, the tensions between China and the US are once again on the rise following these spying allegations.
Statement
Unidentified flying object violated Canadian airspace: Trudeau
Confirming the joint operation, Trudeau tweeted, "I ordered the takedown of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. [North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) Command] shot down the object over...Yukon." "Canadian and US aircraft were scrambled, and a US F-22 successfully fired at the object," he added. Canadian defense minister Anita Anand reportedly said the object was "cylindrical" and smaller than the alleged Chinese balloon.
Twitter Post
Watch: Canadian Minister of National Defence Anita Anand addressing media
WATCH: Canadian defense minister gives update on airborne object shot down over Canada. https://t.co/HxJiFA4jnm https://t.co/F3pRsWgwBo
— ABC News (@ABC) February 12, 2023
Official
F-22 fighter jets employed to down UFO: Pentagon
President Joe Biden, according to Pentagon Spokesperson Pat Ryder, ordered US fighter jets assigned to NORAD to collaborate with Canada on Saturday to shoot down a high-altitude, unidentified flying object (UFO) in Canadian airspace. One of the two F-22 fighter planes initially observed the object and then fired an AIM 9X missile to bring it down, Ryder added.
Search operation
Object flew at 40,000ft; no information about origin
Canadian Minister of National Defence Anand said the unspecified object was flying over central Yukon at about 40,000 feet and was intercepted at 15:41 (local time) on Saturday, per BBC. Search and recovery operations for the remains of the object were hindered by extreme Arctic weather and limited daylight, per AFP. The Pentagon didn't reveal any further details about the object and its origin.
Tension
Tension flares up in US-China relations after spy balloon incident
The previous alleged spy balloon incident impacted the already poor US and China relations. The Pentagon claimed that the balloon was part of China's large surveillance program. However, China warned of repercussions and said it was an obvious overreaction on the part of the US to use force. China claimed the balloon was meant for weather purposes and drifted off to the US territory.