Jittery Americans have been watching the skies as the mysterious incursions unfolded against a backdrop of acute tensions with China -- although only the first object has so far been attributed to Beijing.
On Sunday the Pentagon said that it does not yet know what the other three objects -- one shot down Friday over Alaska, one Saturday over Canada's Yukon territory, and the most recent one Sunday over Lake Huron -- are.
But it said that the object downed Sunday had been tracked for nearly a day and did not resemble the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon that was destroyed off the Atlantic coast on February 4 after traversing the country.
President Joe Biden ordered a F-16 fighter to shoot down the latest object "out of abundance of caution," a senior administration official said.
The object was described by the official as an octagonal structure with strings hanging off it.
Drifting at about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) over Michigan, it could have posed a hazard to civil aviation, the official said.
US Northern Command Commander General Glen VanHerck told reporters that after aircraft were sent up to inspect the newest object, they concluded that there was no indication of any threat, the same with the previous objects.
"What we are seeing is very, very small objects that produce a very, very low radar cross section," he said.
He declined to describe the shape or size of the objects, but said they were traveling very slowly, around the speed of the wind.
Speculation as to what the objects may be has ignited in recent days.
"I will let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out," VanHerck told reporters when asked if it was possible the objects are aliens or extra-terrestrials.
"I haven't ruled out anything at this point."
- Mysterious objects -
The objects shot down since Friday were detected after US air defense adjusted radar settings to scan for smaller and slower-moving objects, said Assistant Secretary of Defense Melissa Dalton.
"In light of the People's Republic of China balloon that we took down last Saturday, we have been more closely scrutinising our airspace at these altitudes, including enhancing our radar, which may at least partly explain the increase in objects that we've detected over the past week," she told reporters.
She said they are aware that there are objects drifting at such altitudes operated in the air by research institutes and private companies.
"But because we had not been able to definitively assess what these recent objects are, the president wanted to act out of an abundance of caution to protect our security and interests," she said.
Currently operations are underway to recover all four objects, said Dalton.
Canadian officials described the shot down over Canada's far northwest on Saturday as small and cylindrical, roughly the size of a Volkswagen car.
Recovery teams backed by a Canadian CP-140 patrol aircraft were continuing their search Sunday for debris in the Yukon, officials said.
US teams were struggling with Arctic conditions as they searched near Deadhorse, Alaska, where the second object was shot down Friday.
Operations were also continuing off the South Carolina coast, where the past week's drama climaxed when the initial large balloon was shot down.
- China relations tense -
China has insisted that first object was a weather balloon blown off course.
The incident prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a long-planned diplomatic mission to Beijing.
A senior Republican on Sunday accused Beijing of "an act of belligerence."
"It was done with provocation to gather intelligence data, and collect intelligence on our three major nuclear sites," Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told CBS.
After being rebuffed by Beijing for days, Dalton said US officials have now communicated with Beijing on the alleged spy balloon.
"There have been contacts made with the PRC on the high altitude balloon," she said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asked to speak with Chinese counterparts shortly after the balloon was shot down.
China's Defense Ministry said Thursday it had refused the offer of a call because of Washington's "irresponsible" decision to shoot down the balloon.
What we know about mysterious objects downed by US
Washington (AFP) Feb 13, 2023 -
The downing of a huge Chinese balloon off the US coast, followed by the shootdowns of three smaller objects over Alaska, Canada and Lake Huron on the US-Canada border has raised concerns about North American security and further strained relations with China.
Here is what we know so far:
- What were the four objects? -
The drama began in late January, when a giant Chinese balloon -- dubbed a spy craft by American officials -- drifted for days through US skies before being shot down February 4 by an F-22 jet off the South Carolina coast. China insisted the balloon was conducting weather research and had gone astray.
The Pentagon said it had a gondola the size of three buses and was equipped with multiple antennas and had solar panels large enough to power several intelligence-gathering sensors.
It also appeared to be able to steer itself, using winds and possibly a propulsion mechanism, officials said.
Then Friday, US fighter jets downed another object off northern Alaska. It was much smaller than the Chinese balloon, and lacked any system of propulsion or control, officials said.
On Saturday, a US F-22 jet, acting on US and Canadian orders, downed a "high-altitude airborne object" over Canada's far northwest Yukon territory, saying it posed a threat to civilian flight. Canada described it as cylindrical like and about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.
On Sunday Biden ordered US warplanes to down yet another unidentified object over Lake Huron. The object was described as an octagonal structure with strings hanging off it.
It too posed a hazard to civil aviation as it flew at about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters), officials said.
The Pentagon said none of the four objects appeared armed or posed any threat of attack.
Officials would not comment on the origin or function of the three objects that came after the Chinese balloon. Only the balloon has been attributed to Beijing so far.
- What has been recovered? -
Military teams working from planes, boats and minisubs are scouring the shallow waters off South Carolina for the first object, and military images showed the recovery of a large piece of balloon. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is taking custody of the debris for analysis.
Operations to recover the second object continue on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska. "Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow and limited daylight, are a factor," the military said.
Recovery teams are searching for debris from the third object in the Yukon, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said Saturday.
The Pentagon said Sunday that US and Canadian teams were preparing an operation to try and recover the fourth object.
- What was the objects' purpose? -
US officials say the Chinese balloon, which flew over sensitive US nuclear missile sites, had surveillance equipment that could intercept telecommunications.
They said that such balloons skirted US territory at least four times in the past six years, but none had flown deep into US territory.
The balloons were part of a "fleet" operated by China -- likely the Chinese military -- that has conducted surveillance on some 40 countries over five continents, US officials said.
Speculation was growing about the other objects. US Assistant Secretary of Defense Melissa Dalton said it was known that public and private research bodies launch their own research craft into the atmosphere at those altitudes.
But after decades of investigating some strange sightings by US military pilots that were categorized as "UFOs", officials were not ready to completely dismiss the idea that aliens or extraterrestrials were the source.
"I haven't ruled out anything at this point," said US Northern Command Commander General Glen VanHerck Sunday when asked about that possibility.
- Why so many objects now? -
Dalton said Sunday that after the Chinese balloon was detected, US air defense made adjustments to radar systems to be able to detect smaller and slower-moving objects in the atmosphere.
Analysts said normally US and Canadian intelligence constantly receive huge amounts of raw data, and generally screened some out to focus on the threat of incoming missiles, not slow-moving objects like balloons.
After the radar adjustments, "What we are seeing is very, very small objects that produce a very, very low radar cross section," said VanHerck.
- What's the impact on US-China ties? -
The United States scrapped a visit to China by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, intended to stabilize severely strained relations, and has sanctioned six Chinese entities believed to support military spy balloon programs.
Beijing denounced the first balloon's downing, saying it "seriously violated international practice." It reserved the right "to use necessary means to deal with similar situations."
Dalton said Sunday that after Beijing rejected US overtures for several days, that US officials have had "contacts" with China over the balloon. She did not characterize the contacts.
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