Berlin/Anchorage
Another flying object has been shot down in airspace over the United States. It is not yet clear what this is about.
For the second time in a week, the US Air Force has flying object fetched from the sky over the USA. Last Saturday it was a suspected espionage balloon that was shot down over the Atlantic. Another shot followed – this time over Alaska. What was the “aircraft” about? So far unclear. Also read: Spy balloon apparently part of worldwide espionage program
USA: Unidentified flying object shot down by the Luftwaffe
John Kirby, communications director of the National Security Council, admitted that there was an air force operation USA, announced in Washington on Friday. According to him, the flying object was at an altitude of about twelve kilometers and posed a threat to the safety of civil air traffic. It was therefore shot down by the military on the orders of US President Joe Biden. Kirby stressed that he had no information on the origin of the flying object and was unknown who owned it.
A week ago, the US military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina. The US government accused China of wanting to spy on military installations. Beijing, on the other hand, described the flying object as a civil research balloon that had gone off course. The launch was an “overreaction”. The incident further worsened the already tense relationship between the US and China. Also interesting: What is a spy balloon anyway?
No information on the origin of the flying object over Alaska
Looking at that now over Alaska When the flying object appeared, Kirby emphasized several times that there was still no knowledge of where it came from and what it was aiming for. “We don’t know what that object was,” he said. However, one assumes that one will be able to salvage the parts. Debris from the object probably fell onto ice after it was shot down. “We hope that the salvage will be successful and then we can learn a bit more about it.”
The flying object was first sighted on Thursday evening (local time), Kirby explained. Biden was informed immediately and gave the firing order on Friday morning. According to preliminary findings, the flying object is significantly smaller than the one that was shot down spy balloon. “It was described to me as about the size of a small car,” says Kirby. He emphasized: “We will continue to keep a close eye on our airspace.” (nfz/dpa)
More articles from this category can be found here: Politics
