[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]It was the second such occurrence in North American skies after the dramatic downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon a week ago when a US fighter jet shot down an unidentified item above Canada on Saturday. The destruction of the item, the most recent in a string of enigmatic air invasions, was reportedly the result of a combined US-Canadian military operation, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau tweeted on Saturday, “Canadian and US aircraft were scrambled, and a US F-22 successfully fired at the object.”
I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. @NORADCommand shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 11, 2023
Following the downing of the item at 3:41 PM (2041 GMT), aviation officials closed off a portion of the airspace over Montana in the northwest United States after spotting a “radar abnormality,” according to the US Northern Command. US fighter jets took to the sky, but Northern Command reported that they “could not identify any item to correlate to the radar hits,” indicating concern over potential incursions. Then, commercial aviation was permitted to resume in the skies. Nita Anand, Canada’s military minister, described the item that was shot down in the Yukon as “small, cylindrical.”
NOW – Downed object had "unlawfully entered Canadian airspace," Defense Minister Anita Anand says. pic.twitter.com/DCy9OeMAsX
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) February 12, 2023
Anand told reporters that the item “was flying at an altitude of about 40,000 feet, had illegally entered Canadian airspace, and constituted a reasonable threat to the safety of civil flight.” In the Yukon, Canadian military, according to Trudeau, “will now recover and study the object’s debris.”
Today, a @NORADCommand aircraft shot down an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled and a U.S. F-22 fired at the object. I discussed this with @SecDef Austin and reaffirmed that we’ll always defend our sovereignty together. https://t.co/FLKOwYMkbY
— Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) February 11, 2023
He claimed to have discussed the most recent incursion with US President Joe Biden, while Anand claimed to have spoken with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. After the US claimed on Wednesday that suspected Chinese spy balloons like the one it shot down on February 4 were part of a “fleet” that had crossed five continents, further incursions into Alaska and the Yukon followed. NATO also expressed worry. It would not be prudent for me to speculate on the object’s origins at this time, Anand added. The item was engaged Saturday by US and Canadian aircraft flying in tandem, according to Anand and the US Department of Defense.
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