A high-altitude Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) entered American airspace on Friday, and a United States fighter jet was dispatched to intercept and destroy it on the orders of Vice President Joe Biden. The authorities said it was done because the object posed a potential risk to commercial aviation.
The object reportedly entered U.S. airspace for the first time on Thursday night. U.S. Northern Command tracked it as it travelled across the sky over northern Alaska, maintaining a consistent height of around 12,000 metres, according to the Pentagon (40,000 feet).
U.S. planes reportedly approached the object, which was estimated to be the size of a compact car. They determined that there were no humans aboard before one of two F-22 fighter jets dispatched on an intercept course fired an AIM-9x Sidewinder missile at it. Sources from both the Pentagon and the White House reported this information.
Authorities defended the decision to shoot down the item from the White House and the Pentagon, who stated that the object’s distance of 12,000 metres “posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian aircraft.”
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning to pilots earlier on Friday, advising them to steer clear of the Deadhorse, Alaska, neighbourhood because the item was spotted nearby and indicated it was in the vicinity of the city.
In close proximity is Prudhoe Bay, the 18th largest oil field in the world and the largest oil field in North America.
Additionally, the United States has conducted arctic training of helicopter pilots and other personnel in Deadhorse and on the north slope of Prudhoe Bay. In addition, submarines from the United States Navy conduct training operations in the region.
“Object” that is not an aeroplane or helicopter
Less than two hours after the UFO was brought down, Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, stated that there was “no indication at this point that it was manoeuvrable.”
According to Ryder, speaking to Pentagon reporters, “there was an object… it was not an aircraft per se.” At this time, the military did not have any other information on the object, including a description of its capabilities, function, or origin, the statement reads.
According to officials from the United States, a variety of planes are currently assisting in the process of collecting the remains of the item. According to FlightRadar24, a C130, along with other recovery aircraft, is in the area of the debris.
John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, stated in a separate White House briefing that the authorities do expect to be able to collect the debris, as it fell on the American territorial area, but on what officials assume to be frozen water. Kirby said this in response to a question about whether or not the authorities would be able to retrieve the debris. He stated that the authorities are optimistic that they would be successful in recovering it and that if they do, they will be able to gain some additional knowledge about it.
In addition, he stated that the UFO is being described as an object since it is the most accurate description that they can come up with right now. He stated that the authorities do not know who owns it and do not have any documentation that would substantiate the object’s declared usage. He also stated that the authorities do not know who created it.
UFO behaved differently than the Chinese balloon
It has been less than a week since a Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. Before it was destroyed, the balloon had flown over a large part of the country.
U.S. authorities justified the decision to shoot down this newest device less than 24 hours after it was originally seen, claiming they learned a great deal about China’s spy balloon programme by allowing it to circumnavigate the country while searching for strategic spots.
In contrast to the Chinese observation balloon, which was flying at the height of more than 18,000 metres (60,000 feet) and above the level of commercial air traffic, the UFO was 6,000 metres lower and was likely to get close to the flight paths of commercial aircraft, the authorities said.
The officials also noted that, in contrast to the Chinese observation balloon, this high-altitude item was subject to the winds, which made its flight route unpredictable and, as a result, more harmful to aviation traffic than the Chinese balloon.
According to Kirby of the White House, the new object that was spotted above Alaska “contained no major cargo.” This is in contrast to the Chinese surveillance balloon, which was described as having the size of two to three buses.