WASHINGTON — White Home spokesman John Kirby stated Friday that the Division of Protection shot down a “excessive altitude object” that was in Alaska’s airspace within the final 24 hours.
Kirby stated the thing was flying at an altitude of 40,000 ft and “posed an inexpensive menace to the protection of civilian flight.” Out of an abundance of warning and on the suggestion of the Pentagon, President Joe Biden ordered the navy to down the thing, Kirby stated.
Kirby stated U.S. officers nonetheless do not know a lot concerning the object, together with the place it is from.
“What we all know is that the flight path it executed took it over delicate navy websites. What we additionally know is that it might maneuver, that it had propulsion functionality and guidance functionality and will decelerate velocity up and that it, it was on a path to transit over delicate navy websites,” Kirby informed reporters.
“I wish to stress once more, we do not know what entity owns this object,” Kirby stated. “There is no indication that it is from a nation or an establishment or a person. We simply do not know. We do not know who owns this object.”
One motive it was shot down, Kirby stated, was as a result of “at its altitude, (it) represented a possible menace to the protection of flying prospects. You realize civil air site visitors.”
This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: US shoots down second ‘excessive altitude object’ following spy balloon row