Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder gave few additional details in a briefing shortly after it was revealed the US military shot down an unidentified object flying over Alaska Thursday night. When questioned about the possibility of second Chinese balloon, Ryder said the US has yet to reach out to China over the latest object.
The White House has also said that ownership has not been established. Ryder additionally repeated that the aircraft had been seen as a hazard to civilian aviation, and that it was shot down by an F-22 jet with a sidewinder missile. According to more from the Pentagon press briefing:
- The Pentagon cannot say if the object shot down over Alaska was a balloon, it is sure that there were no people on board: Kirby
- Pentagon says object shot down over Alaska "wasn't an aircraft per say"
- U.S. Military used F-22 aircraft to take down object over Alaska on Friday, using a sidewinder missile: Pentagon
- Ryder says U.S. Army CH-47 helicopters have launched to recover debris from the downed ‘object’ in NE Alaska in the frozen waters near the U.S.-Canadian border.
So it seems, the world could soon find out what this object actually was. However, recovery could take time given the difficult weather elements in Northeast Alaska.
The U.S. military used an F-22 aircraft to take down the object off Alaska today and used a "sidewinder missile" to do so, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick S Ryder says. https://t.co/2q98TmJ7P9 pic.twitter.com/TTcsIXs3Ml
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 10, 2023