US Air Force shoots down UFO the size of a car over Alaskan coast
The US Air Force shot down a flying object the size of a car off the Northern coast of Alaska, the Pentagon Press Secretary said on Friday.
Two F-22 Raptor fighter jets flying out of Joint Base Elmendorf in Alaska took down the "high-altitude object" following orders from US President Joe Biden.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command detected the object on 9 February using ground radar and sent aircraft to identify it.
It was confirmed by the pilots that the flying object was unmanned.
"The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000ft and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight," said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder.
The object was flying at the same altitude as civilian airliners which typically fly between 40,000 and 45,000ft.
The car-sized object fell onto sea ice off the coast of Alaska.
US Northern Command has begun recovery operations with assistance from HC-130, HH-60 and CH-47 aircraft, General Ryder said.
The F-22 Raptors took down the flying object with one missile – an AIM-9X Sidewinder.
The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a supersonic air-to-air missile that has been used by the US military since the 1950s.
As it has a tested and longstanding reputation, the latest variants of the missile are standard in western military forces.
The object does not in any way resemble the Chinese balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina earlier this week, the press secretary said.
"We have no further details about the object at this time, including any description of its capabilities, purpose or origin," he added.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations is assisting the US Northern Command with the recovery operations.
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