US fighter jet shoots down unidentified object over Canada
A US F-22 fighter jet shot down an unidentified cylindrical object over Canada on Saturday, the second such shootdown in as many days, as North America appeared on heightened alert following a week-long Chinese spying balloon saga that drew the global spotlight.
Canada Premier Justin Trudeau first announced the shootdown over the Yukon territory in the country's north and said Canadian forces would recover and analyze the wreckage.
Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand declined to speculate about the origin of the object, which she said was cylindrical in shape. She stopped short of describing it as a balloon but said it was smaller than the Chinese balloon shot down off South Carolina's coast a week ago, but similar in appearance.
Defence Minister said it was flying at 40,000 feet and posed a risk to civilian air traffic when it was shot down at 3:41 EST (2041 GMT).
The United States said the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected the object over Alaska late Friday evening. US fighter jets from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, monitored the object as it crossed over into Canadian airspace, where Canadian CF-18 and CP-140 aircraft joined the formation.
'A US F-22 shot down the object in Canadian territory using an AIM 9X missile following close coordination between United States and Canadian authorities,' Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden authorized the US military to work with Canada to take down the high-altitude craft after a call between Biden and Justin Trudeau, the Pentagon said. The White House said Biden and Trudeau agreed to continue close coordination to 'defend our airspace.'
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