US military downs unknown object over Alaska --- Kyodo News

WASHINGTON — The US military on Friday shot down an unknown high-altitude object off the coast of Alaska on the order of President Joe Biden, the White House said, citing a threat to the safety of civilian flights. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the object, first detected Thursday night, was much smaller than a Chinese surveillance balloon that recently flew over the United States and was taken down by the military off the coast of North Carolina on Saturday. Kirby described the object as "roughly the size of a small car," and said it was brought down by a fighter jet near the U.S.-Canada border after the pilots were able to determine that it was unmanned. He said the object will be recovered from U.S. territorial waters there, which are now frozen. "We're calling this an object, because that's the best description we have. We do not know who owns it, whether it's state-owned or corporate-owned or privately-owned," he said. "We don't understand the full purpose." Speaking separately, Pat Ryder, the Defense Department's press secretary, also said the object's origins remain unknown, adding it was shot down at around 1:45 p.m. after flying at an altitude of about 12 kilometers. Ryder said there is no indication at this time that the object was maneuverable. "We are still assessing what this object was," he said in a press briefing. Asked why the latest shootdown occurred much more quickly than the previous one, Ryder explained that this object was hovering at an altitude that posed a "reasonable threat to civilian air traffic." In contrast, U.S. officials have said that the Chinese balloon was traveling at an altitude of nearly 20 km, well above commercial air traffic. The latest development came a little less than a week after the military brought down the large balloon following its crossing over the continental United States, an episode that has renewed tensions with China and prompted U.S. legislators to pressure Biden for action against the threat posed by Beijing. The Chinese balloon, estimated to have been the size of three buses, was equipped with multiple antennas and solar panels, according to the US officials. They have said it was independently maneuverable and capable of carrying out signals intelligence collection operations. A senior US State Department official said Thursday the Chinese maker of the balloon has a "direct relationship" with the People's Liberation Army. But China has maintained the balloon was being used for civilian weather research purposes and that it was accidentally blown off course by strong winds. A day after the senior official said the United States would consider taking action against the manufacturer, the Biden administration added six Chinese entities linked to Beijing's alleged spy balloon program to an export blacklist.