What Is Known About the Unidentified Object That Was Shot Down Over Alaska

US officials said that an unidentified object was shot down on Friday afternoon 10 miles off the Arctic shore of Alaska, but there are few facts available.

It was the second occasion in less than a week that US planes had shot down an item, the first being the Saturday shooting down of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

According to Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the item, which authorities have not yet identified as a balloon, was shot down around 1:45 EST.

According to John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, "[I]t arrived inside our territorial seas, and those waters are currently locked, but inside territorial airspace and over territorial waters." "US Northern Command fighter planes destroyed the item during the previous hour."

President Joe Biden told CNN on Friday afternoon that the operation had been a success when he was questioned about it.

Here is a summary of what is currently known.

Numerous issues persist

On February 10, 2023, US President Joe Biden awaits the arrival of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Rosangela Janja da Silva in Washington, DC on the South Lawn of the White House. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

It "did not appear to be self-maneuvering," Kirby said, adding that Biden received his initial briefing on the item on Thursday evening, "as soon as the Pentagon got enough information."

The appearance and origin of the artifact are unknown. Ryder reported that it was crossing Alaska to the northeast on Friday. He would only remark that it was "around the size of a compact vehicle" and "not identical in size or shape" to the Chinese surveillance balloon that had been brought down on February 4 off the coast of South Carolina.

The greatest description we have at the moment is that we're calling this an object, Kirby explained. "We have no idea who owns it; we have no idea if it is state-owned, corporate-owned, or privately-owned."

Object discovered for the first time on Thursday

According to a US official, F-35 fighter aircraft were sent up to investigate after the item was originally discovered on Thursday.

The Chinese surveillance balloon was permitted to fly above the US last week for the main reason that there was no danger to persons or property in the event that it was shot down.

The item, which did not appear to be manned, was shot down because it presented a "reasonable hazard to civilian aviation traffic" while flying at 40,000 feet, Ryder added. Officials are unsure of the object's origin.

According to Kirby, the first fly-by of US fighter planes took place on Thursday night, while the second one occurred on Friday morning. Both returned "limited" data regarding the item.

In the end, a fighter jet from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska using the same AIM-9X missile as the observation balloon brought the item down close to the Canadian border in northern Alaska. According to a US official, the military waited till daytime to shoot the object down so that the pilots could see it more easily. The Alaska Air National Guard's aircraft assets "assisted the mission," according to Ryder.

The mission to retrieve the item is being supported by the Alaska National Guard, US Northern Command forces, HC-130 Hercules, HH-60 Pave Hawk, and CH-47 Chinook aircraft, according to Ryder.

No obvious link to the Chinese balloon

A high-altitude observation balloon is found by sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 on February 5, 2023, off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Thompson/US Navy

The device has not yet been connected in any way to the Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down last weekend; its wreckage is still being found on the seabed of the Atlantic Ocean, according to officials.

Recovery crews have "mapped the debris field," according to Ryder, who also stated on Friday that they are "in the process of searching for and identifying wreckage on the ocean floor."

Despite the fact that I won't provide specifics because of security concerns, Ryder added, "I can state that we have discovered a sizable quantity of debris so far that will prove valuable to our future study of this balloon and its surveillance capabilities."

Ryder said it was "a few apples and oranges" when he was questioned on Friday about whether or not the knowledge gained from the China balloon helped in locating the item shot down over Alaska.

According to a US official, the device didn't appear to have any monitoring equipment, making it both smaller and probably less sophisticated than the Chinese balloon fired.

SOURCE: CNN