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What we know about mysterious objects downed by US Washington, Feb 13 (AFP) Feb 13, 2023 The downing of a huge Chinese balloon off the US coast, followed by the shootdowns of three smaller objects over Alaska, Canada and Lake Huron on the US-Canada border has raised concerns about North American security and further strained relations with China. Here is what we know so far:
The Pentagon said it had a gondola the size of three buses and was equipped with multiple antennas and had solar panels large enough to power several intelligence-gathering sensors. It also appeared to be able to steer itself, using winds and possibly a propulsion mechanism, officials said. Then Friday, US fighter jets downed another object off northern Alaska. It was much smaller than the Chinese balloon, and lacked any system of propulsion or control, officials said. On Saturday, a US F-22 jet, acting on US and Canadian orders, downed a "high-altitude airborne object" over Canada's far northwest Yukon territory, saying it posed a threat to civilian flight. Canada described it as cylindrical like and about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. On Sunday Biden ordered US warplanes to down yet another unidentified object over Lake Huron. The object was described as an octagonal structure with strings hanging off it. It too posed a hazard to civil aviation as it flew at about 20,000 feet (6,000 meters), officials said. The Pentagon said none of the four objects appeared armed or posed any threat of attack. Officials would not comment on the origin or function of the three objects that came after the Chinese balloon. Only the balloon has been attributed to Beijing so far.
Operations to recover the second object continue on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska. "Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow and limited daylight, are a factor," the military said. Recovery teams are searching for debris from the third object in the Yukon, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said Saturday. The Pentagon said Sunday that US and Canadian teams were preparing an operation to try and recover the fourth object.
They said that such balloons skirted US territory at least four times in the past six years, but none had flown deep into US territory. The balloons were part of a "fleet" operated by China -- likely the Chinese military -- that has conducted surveillance on some 40 countries over five continents, US officials said. Speculation was growing about the other objects. US Assistant Secretary of Defense Melissa Dalton said it was known that public and private research bodies launch their own research craft into the atmosphere at those altitudes. But after decades of investigating some strange sightings by US military pilots that were categorized as "UFOs", officials were not ready to completely dismiss the idea that aliens or extraterrestrials were the source. "I haven't ruled out anything at this point," said US Northern Command Commander General Glen VanHerck Sunday when asked about that possibility.
Analysts said normally US and Canadian intelligence constantly receive huge amounts of raw data, and generally screened some out to focus on the threat of incoming missiles, not slow-moving objects like balloons. After the radar adjustments, "What we are seeing is very, very small objects that produce a very, very low radar cross section," said VanHerck.
Beijing denounced the first balloon's downing, saying it "seriously violated international practice." It reserved the right "to use necessary means to deal with similar situations." Dalton said Sunday that after Beijing rejected US overtures for several days, that US officials have had "contacts" with China over the balloon. She did not characterize the contacts.
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