Less than a week after the military knocked down a Chinese balloon that had flown across the United States, a US F-22 fighter plane on Friday shot down an unidentified item above Alaska, according to US sources.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said the unmanned object was "the size of a small car" and posed a "reasonable threat" to civilian aviation.
The object's purpose and origin were unclear, Mr. Kirby said.
Republicans and some of Biden’s fellow Democrats criticized the president for waiting before he acted against that first balloon. The incident set off a diplomatic crisis between the world’s two largest economies and caused US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a planned trip to Beijing.
The Pentagon and the White House declined to give a detailed description of the latest object to be shot down, saying that it was far smaller than the Chinese balloon. The Pentagon said it was flying at about 40,000 feet (12,190 meters), posing a risk to civilian air traffic.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said the unmanned object was "the size of a small car" and posed a "reasonable threat" to civilian aviation.
The object's purpose and origin were unclear, Mr. Kirby said.
Republicans and some of Biden’s fellow Democrats criticized the president for waiting before he acted against that first balloon. The incident set off a diplomatic crisis between the world’s two largest economies and caused US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a planned trip to Beijing.
The Pentagon and the White House declined to give a detailed description of the latest object to be shot down, saying that it was far smaller than the Chinese balloon. The Pentagon said it was flying at about 40,000 feet (12,190 meters), posing a risk to civilian air traffic.
