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.
President Joe Biden ordered a F-16 fighter to shoot down the latest object "out of abundance of caution," a senior administration official said.
This new device -- described as an octagonal structure with strings hanging off it -- was not deemed to be a military threat to anything on the ground, but it could have posed a hazard to civil aviation as it flew at about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) over Michigan, the official said.
"We have no indication that it has surveillance capabilities but nor can we rule that out," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Reflecting the heightened state of alert, US authorities briefly closed the airspace over Lake Michigan Sunday, before the latest object was shot down further towards the Canadian border.
The US aerospace command NORAD tracked the new object visually and with radar, and it was downed over the lake "to avoid impact to people on the ground while improving chances for debris recovery," the Pentagon said in a statement.
A senior Republican on Sunday accused Beijing of "an act of belligerence" regarding the first object, a Chinese balloon shot down February 4 off the US East Coast after American officials said it was engaged in spying.
China has insisted it was a weather balloon blown off course.
"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.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, among senior lawmakers who received a government briefing, told ABC the second and third objects -- one shot down over Canada's Yukon territory on Saturday, and one downed over Alaska on Friday -- both appeared to be balloons, but "much smaller than" the first large one.
Meanwhile Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was heading Sunday to the western Yukon territory, where the third unidentified object was shot down a day earlier.
There, a US F-22 jet, acting on orders from the prime minister and US President Joe Biden, downed a "high-altitude airborne object" about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the border.
Canadian officials described it 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.
- 'Real concerns' -
Culminating a weekend with the military on alert, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said on Twitter that Sunday's Lake Michigan closure was "to ensure the safety of air traffic in the area during NORAD operations. The temporary flight restriction has since been lifted."
Republicans meanwhile have harshly criticized Biden for allowing the first balloon to drift for days across the country -- potentially gathering sensitive intelligence -- before having it shot down.
Schumer on Sunday defended Biden's handling, telling ABC an analysis of recovered debris would represent "a huge coup for the United States."
But Biden has faced bipartisan calls for greater transparency.
"I have real concerns about why the administration is not being more forthcoming," Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC.
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.
Related Links
UAV News - Suppliers and Technology
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
