Reconnaissance Balloon Invades US Territory Again... 6 Days After China Balloon Shootdown (Summary)

Object owner and purpose not yet confirmed
President Biden orders shootdown after receiving report
"At 40,000 feet altitude... launched after 24 hours of tracking"

The U.S. government announced on the 10th (local time) that it shot down another 'unidentified object' over Alaska, following last week's downing of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon. This comes six days after a U.S. fighter jet shot down a Chinese reconnaissance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean with an air-to-air missile on the 4th.

John Kirby, White House National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, announced at a briefing that a high altitude object was detected over Alaska, prompting fighter jets to be dispatched and shoot it down.

Six days after the U.S. government shot down a Chinese reconnaissance balloon that violated the airspace over the U.S. mainland, another unidentified object was shot down over the state of Alaska. The photo shows the U.S. using stealth fighters and other aircraft to shoot down the Chinese "reconnaissance balloon" that entered its territory on the 4th (local time). Photo by U.S. Naval Institute Twitter capture.

He stated that President Joe Biden ordered the removal of the object after receiving a report from the Department of Defense. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected the object and tracked it for 24 hours, after which President Biden gave the order to shoot it down.

There is currently no confirmation regarding the owner of the downed object or its intended purpose. Coordinator Kirby said it is unclear whether it was a balloon or if it was equipped with reconnaissance equipment.

However, he mentioned that the downed object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet (approximately 12 km) and was much smaller?about the size of a small passenger car?compared to the Chinese reconnaissance balloons, which were about the size of 2 to 3 buses. The U.S. Air Force, which shot down the object, is reportedly conducting debris recovery operations. Authorities plan to identify the object once the debris is collected.

Coordinator Kirby also emphasized that the object shot down posed a significant threat to civilian air traffic.

Previously, U.S. authorities judged that the Chinese reconnaissance balloon, which floated at about 60,000 to 65,000 feet (approximately 18 to 20 km), did not pose a threat to civilian air traffic.

On the 4th, Kirby, US NSC Coordinator, mentioned China's ballistic missile launch
[Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

At that time, President Biden was criticized for not shooting down the Chinese reconnaissance balloon immediately when it entered the U.S. mainland through Alaska, allowing it to cross the United States. U.S. authorities, concerned about civilian casualties on the ground, shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean a week after its discovery.

Coordinator Kirby stated that there has been no contact with Chinese authorities regarding the recent downing of the unidentified object. However, there was communication with Chinese authorities before and after the previous reconnaissance balloon was shot down.