Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says ‘unidentified object’ shot down on his command
The object shot down by a US warplane over Canada was small and cylindrical and posed a reasonable threat, the nation says.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has claimed that an “unidentified object” has been shot down on his orders over Canadian airspace.
“I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and US aircraft were scrambled, and a US F-22 successfully fired at the object,” Trudeau said on Twitter.
Trudeau said he spoke with US President Joe Biden this afternoon and Canadian forces will “now recover and analyse the wreckage of the object”.
Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand said the object, flying at about 40,000 feet (12 kilometres), appeared to be “a small cylindrical object, smaller than the one that was downed off the coast of North Carolina”.
Ms Anand refused to speculate whether the object shot down over Canada came from China.
“We are continuing to do the analysis on the object and we will make sure that analysis is thorough,” she said.
“It would not be prudent for me to speculate on the origins of the object at this time.”
However, Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre said: “The instructions that were given to the team was whoever had the first, best shot to take out the balloon had the go-ahead.”
Meanwhile, Major Olivier Gallant, a NORAD spokesperson, said in a statement: “We have positively identified a high-altitude airborne object over Northern Canada.
“While we cannot discuss specifics related to these activities at this time, please note that NORAD conducts sustained, dispersed operations in the defence of North America through one or all three NORAD regions.”
I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 11, 2023
The US Northern Command said yesterday it successfully took down a “high altitude airborne object” off the northern coast of Alaska within US sovereign airspace over US territorial waters.
A recovery operation is underway near Deadhorse, Alaska with the US Northern Command’s Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard.
The Command claims they have “no further details at this time about the object, including its capabilities, purpose or origin”.
They added the Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard, along with the FBI and local law enforcement, were conducting search and recovery.
“Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” the statement added.
Trouble in the skies over the US and Canada
It is not clear whether the object is related to the suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down last week, or another object shot down over Alaska yesterday.
F-22 fighter jets have now downed three objects in the airspace above the US and Canada over seven days, a shocking series of events in the skies that is raising questions on what is hovering overhead and who sent them.
It was reported yesterday that the US had shot down an unidentified “high-altitude object” over Alaska.
The object was downed at 1.45pm Friday, Washington time (5.45am Saturday AEDT).
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the object was being tracked by the Pentagon over Alaska airspace in the last 24 hours.
“The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet (12km) and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight,” he said.
“Out of an abundance of caution, at the recommendation of the Pentagon, president (Joe) Biden ordered the military to down the object.”
It comes less than a week after a US fighter jet shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of South Carolina, after it flew over sensitive military sites.
China had claimed it was a weather balloon that had blown off course, but US officials said that explanation “lacked any credibility”.
Kirby said the object shot down yesterday was about the size of a small car, which was much smaller than the Chinese balloon.
He said it was “virtually at the whim of the wind” and there were fears for flights travelling at the same altitude.
He added that the object went down in northern Alaska near the Canadian border and fell in frozen water, making recovery feasible.
“We do expect to be able to recover the debris, since it fell not only within our territorial space, but what we believe is frozen water, so a recovery effort will be made,” he said.
Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, spokesman for the Pentagon, said an F-22 Raptor used an AIM-9X missile to bring down the object – the same aircraft and munition used to target the Chinese balloon.
A former Pentagon official, Michael P. Mulroy, said if it was another Chinese balloon, it could be a sign the country was deliberately provoking the US, reported the New York Times.
“If it was another Chinese spy balloon, that indicates that China is either incompetent in operating these platforms or potentially deliberately provoking the US,” he said.
“It is also important for the US and China to maintain direct communications during times like this. Especially between the militaries.”
Trudeau said he was briefed on the situation and “supported the decision to take action” in a tweet.
He added that the two countries’ military and intelligence services would always work together to keep people safe.
More to come.
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