US shoots down 4th flying object near Canadian border
A United States (US) F-16 fighter jet shot down another unidentified and unmanned airborne object over Lake Huron on the US-Canada border on Sunday. Although the octagonal structure with suspended strings didn't pose a military threat, it could have been a hazard to civil aviation over Michigan, officials said. This was the third such interception in three consecutive days and the fourth this month.
Why does this story matter?
This comes a week after the US Air Force shot down a Chinese air balloon that was allegedly spying on its sensitive nuclear weapons sites. China, on the other hand, denied the allegations, claiming it was a weather observation airship blown astray and criticized the unwarranted use of force. Tensions between China and the US are on the rise again following these spying allegations.
Not sure if it was capable of surveillance: Officials
Officials said that it couldn't be ascertained if the object flying at 20,000 feet had surveillance capabilities. The authorities closed the airspace over Lake Michigan briefly before shooting down the object further toward the Canadian border. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracked and downed it to prevent any impact on people on the ground and for better chances of debris recovery.
The aircraft was downed over northern Canada
Recovery underway at all four sites
The last aircraft was shot down by a US F-22 jet on Saturday in Canada's Yukon territory. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the site on Sunday as recovery teams backed by Canadian CP-140 patrol aircraft continued their search for debris. Prior to that, another flying object was downed on Friday near Deadhorse, Alaska, where US teams were dealing with Arctic conditions for recovery.
Bipartisan calls for greater transparency from Biden
Various quarters criticized US President Joe Biden for the delayed action, calling for transparency on the purported Chinese spy balloon. The balloon was downed days after it drifted across US airspace, allegedly gathering sensitive military intelligence. Biden administration officials have defended the timing of the action, citing the safety of people on the ground. Recovery operations are still underway off the South Carolina coast.
