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2023 Yukon high-altitude object

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2023 Yukon high-altitude object
DateFebruary 11, 2023
LocationYukon, Canada
TypeAirspace violator
OutcomeDowned by an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile fired by a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor

On 11 February 2023, NORAD, at the direction of the Canadian Minister of National Defence and Chief of the Defence Staff, downed an unidentified object over Yukon.[1][2] The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, said NORAD monitored the object and deployed American and Canadian aircraft. Two U.S. Air Force F-22s from Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, assisted by refueling aircraft, monitored the object over U.S. airspace and continued to monitor it as it entered Canadian airspace. Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 and CP-140 aircraft joined the formation monitoring the object after it passed into Canadian airspace.[3]

Minister of National Defence Anita Anand said the object was flying at an altitude of approximately 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.[4] She called it cylindrical and smaller than the suspected Chinese balloon shot down a few days earlier. Anand dismissed the idea that there was any reason the impact of the object was of public concern.[5] The White House said president Joe Biden and Trudeau had "discussed the importance of recovering the object in order to determine more details on its purpose or origin".[6]

NORAD ordered a USAF F-22 to down the object in Canadian airspace, marking the fighter's third air-to-air kill.[7] The object was shot down at 3:41 a.m. local time. Elements of the Canadian Armed Forces are currently collecting and analyzing the object's debris.[8] The object will also be investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[3] This shoot down marked the first deployment of NORAD to down an aerial object within the 64-year history of the US-Canadian aerospace warning and air sovereignty organization.[9]

According to The Wall Street Journal, the object appeared to be a "small metallic balloon with a tethered payload".[10] On February 12, after receiving a briefing from the United States National Security Council, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the U.S. believes that both the Yukon and Alaska objects were balloons.[11] According to an anonymous Canadian official speaking to The Globe and Mail, the object was believed to be a surveillance balloon of Chinese or Russian origin.[12]

The object was downed a day after an Alaskan high-altitude object was shot down, and a week after the 2023 Chinese balloon incident.

Recovery efforts

Canadian military and police forces searched for remnants of the object across a large portion of Yukon, roughly between Dawson City and Mayo, Yukon.[13] Canadian Defense Minister Anand said: “The debris is located in a remote location northeast of Dawson City, in complex alpine terrain that is prone to challenging northern weather conditions.”[14]

Subsequent shootdowns

Another object was shot down by the US Air Force near the Canada-US border, this time over Lake Huron, on 12 February 2023.[15] This aircraft was downed by a USAF F-16 Fighting Falcon with a Sidewinder missile.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Newton, Paula (February 11, 2023). "NORAD says additional 'object' detected over northern Canada". CNN. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  2. ^ Miller, Andrew (February 11, 2023). "NORAD confirms 'high-altitude airborne object' flying over northern Canada". Fox News. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Statement on Today's Actions by North American Aerospace Defense Command". U.S. Department of Defense. February 11, 2023. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  4. ^ Newton, Paula (February 11, 2023). "US jet shoots down 'unidentified object' over northern Canada, Trudeau says". CNN. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  5. ^ Aratani, Lauren; Badshah, Nadeem (February 12, 2023). "New 'unidentified object' shot down over Canada, says Trudeau". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  6. ^ Cooper, Helene (February 11, 2023). "U.S. Jet Shoots Down Flying Object Over Canada". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  7. ^ Trudeau, Justin (February 11, 2023). "Canadian statement". Twitter. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  8. ^ Vanden Brook, Tom; Santucci, Jeanine. "US jets shoot down third object for airspace violations within a week — This time over Canada". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  9. ^ Alba, Monica; Romero, Dennis (February 11, 2023). "U.S. shoots down unidentified object in Canadian airspace". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  10. ^ Lubold, Gordon; Vieira, Paul. "Flying Object Shot Down Over Canada on Orders of Biden and Trudeau". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  11. ^ Long, Colleen; C. Baldor, Lolita; Miller, Zeke (February 12, 2023). "Sen. Schumer says 2 downed objects believed to be balloons". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  12. ^ Anderssen, Erin; Chase, Steven (February 12, 2023). "Canadian team working to retrieve and analyze object shot down over Yukon, Trudeau says". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  13. ^ https://fortune.com/2023/02/13/canada-balloon-ufo-object-search-yukon-justin-trudeau/
  14. ^ https://beta.ctvnews.ca/national/canada/2023/2/13/1_6272475.amp.html
  15. ^ Liebermann, Oren; Atwood, Kylie (February 12, 2023). "US military shoots down high-altitude object over Lake Huron on Sunday | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  16. ^ Martinez, Luis; Fishel, Justin; Margolin, Josh; Raddatz, Martha; Nagle, Molly; Axelrod, Tal (February 13, 2023). "Military shoots down another high-altitude object, over Lake Huron, officials say". ABC News. American Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
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