(Adds comments from the Canadian Minister of Defence)
By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Steven Scheer
WASHINGTON/OTTAWA, Feb 11 (Reuters) – A U.S. F-22 fighter shot down an unidentified cylindrical object over Canada on Saturday, the second such incident in as many days, as North America reported the alert level after a week-long saga over a Chinese spy balloon that captured worldwide attention.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the first to announce the shooting over northern Yukon Territory, saying Canadian forces would recover and analyze the wreckage.
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand declined to speculate on the origin of the object, which she said was cylindrical in shape. He stopped short of describing it as a balloon, but said it was smaller than the Chinese balloon shot down off South Carolina a week ago, but similar in appearance. He said he was flying at 40,000 feet and posing a risk to civilian air traffic when he was shot down at 2041 GMT.
“There is no reason to believe that the object’s impact on Canadian territory is a cause for public concern,” Anand told a news conference.
The Pentagon said the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected the object over Alaska late Friday afternoon. US fighter jets from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, kept an eye on the object as it crossed Canadian airspace, where Canadian CF-18 and CP-140 jets joined Training.
“A US F-22 shot down the object over Canadian territory using an AIM 9X missile after close coordination between US and Canadian authorities,” said Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, in a statement.
US President Joe Biden authorized the US military to work with Canada to shoot down the high-altitude craft following a call between Biden and Trudeau, the Pentagon said. The White House said Biden and Trudeau agreed to pursue close coordination to “defend our airspace.”
“Leaders have discussed the importance of recovering the object to determine further details about its purpose or origin,” the White House said in a statement.
A day earlier, Biden ordered another downing of an unidentified flying object near Deadhorse, Alaska. On Saturday, the US military was tight-lipped about what, if any, it had learned as recovery efforts were underway on the Alaskan sea ice.
The Pentagon provided only a few details on Friday, including that the object was the size of a small car, flew at around 40,000 feet and was unable to maneuver and appeared to be unmanned. US officials have been trying to get information on the object since it was first spotted on Thursday.
“We have no further details at this time on the object, including its capabilities, purpose or origin,” the Northern Command said on Saturday.
He noted the harsh weather conditions in the Arctic, including wind chill, snow and limited daylight that can hamper search and recovery efforts.
“Personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain security,” the Northern Command said.
On February 4, an American F-22 fighter shot down what the US government called a Chinese surveillance balloon off South Carolina, after its week-long journey through the United States and parts of Canada. . The Chinese government claimed it was a civilian investigation device.
Some US lawmakers criticized Biden for not dropping the Chinese ball sooner. The US military had recommended waiting until the balloon was over the ocean, lest you be injured by falling debris.
Since the fall of the high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon, American personnel have scoured the ocean for debris and electronic devices.
The Pentagon said a significant portion of the balloon had already been recovered or located, suggesting US officials may soon have more information about possible Chinese spy capabilities on board the aircraft.
Sea conditions on Feb. 10 “allowed for diving and unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) activities and the recovery of additional debris from the seafloor,” the Northern Command said.
“The public can see U.S. Navy vessels moving to and from the site while conducting unloading and resupply activities.” (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali in Washington and Steven Scheer in Ottawa; Editing in Spanish by Ricardo Figueroa)